University and college can be a strange, exciting and sometimes frightening new world to explore for first year students, some of them leaving home for the first time in their lives and for the first time experiencing total freedom. But with total freedom comes total responsibility. It is easy to let things like school work fall by the wayside with no parents or bosses looking over your shoulder making sure you do your job.
Because even though being a student is your job, while at university and college, it is also a time for students to spread their wings, find themselves and try new things. Unfortunately, some students learn it the hard way, embracing the social aspect of college and university while completely neglecting their studies.
“Academics are important. If you attend classes and pay attention, that’s just about a guaranteed pass,” said University of Lethbridge Student’s Union VP Academic Andrew Williams, a fifth year physics major who wishes he’d taken his own advice when he was a first year.
“Of course if you want to do better, you’ll have to do more,” he said.
“And don’t be afraid to talk to your professors after class. That’s why they have office hours. It can be frustrating for them if they have office hours and nobody shows up,” he continued.
He also advised to try to get ahead of the game by reading ahead.
“ That way if a party or something comes up, you can afford to take the time to go out to it. But make sure you go out,” he emphasized.
“When I was a first year, I ignored all of that advice,” he said, adding in his first year he focused more on the social side of the university spectrum.