Dear (insert your name here):
Congratulations! You’re coming to Ambrose University! Yay! You did it! You made it! Whoop whoop! But… now what? I remember feeling that overwhelming sense creep over you, but don’t worry. That’s just the fear of the unknown!
University is a big step, so be proud of yourself! It’s a lot of change, a lot of things are much different than high school, so it’s natural to feel scared. Don’t let that fear take over you though. Channel it into something amazing! University can be the best time of your life if you make it the best time of your life! When I first came to University, I was unsure of a lot of things. I didn’t know what to expect, or even how to pay my fees. I had no idea how to take notes properly, or what the term “credit hours” meant. (For the record, “credit hours” mean the number of credits you get per course. 120 credits for a 4 year degree means you have taken 120 credit hours.) But with time, everything came along well. The biggest thing that helped me was to ask for help. I asked friends who had been to university before, or were a year ahead of me. I asked my professors for clarification on certain topics, and I asked the Writing Centre (and my mom) to read over my papers. The good thing about Ambrose is that there are SO MANY resources at your disposal that are just itching to help. Take advantage of Ambrose’s atmosphere of wanting to help its students.
So, how do you make University the best time of your life? Well, start by getting to know people. Life should be like in kindergarten, when you hung out with people, and they became your best friends, right?? Well, I have the perfect ‘kindergarten’ story for you! I remember sitting in the Commuter Lounge in my first year when a girl came up to me and said, “Hi! My name’s Marie! Want to be my friend?” And just like that, we were friends. She was with me during my first fender bender (yes, as adults you have to deal with these sometimes… for the record it wasn’t my fault), and always gives me a hug in the hallway. This is a great example of what it means to put yourself out there and make some friends. It’s easy to drift through class after class and never invest in anything beyond academics.
Attending events is another great way to get involved. Go to our sporting events! We host volleyball, futsal, and basketball games on campus, and the atmosphere is crazy awesome! Volunteer with LYC in March! They always need volunteers to serve meals, open doors in residence for people, and be prayer warriors. Intramurals happen during lunch hours, and are a great way to meet new people, and exercise a little bit. Look for events that Student Council hosts! We’ve had Coffee Houses in the past (coffee and open mic = awesome!), Christmas Banquets and more! There are seriously so many things happening on campus, it’s hard to NOT be a part of our community.
Look, I get it. University is a scary thing, because you don’t really know what to expect. Just trust me that everything falls into place. Yes, there’s lots of work involved in school, but it’s so much more than that. Ambrose helps to make your University career more than just academics, because after all, it’s about an experience too.
My advice? Jump in with both feet, put everything that you have into it, and you will LOVE being an Ambrose student. I know I have!
From, your fellow Ambrosian!