In years past, the first-year experience at Western has been somewhat defined. Six months ago, I, too, believed that I was prepared for the first-year experience. I had talked to current and former students at Western and relied on valuable resources such as the AEO to Ivey Blog to get an understanding of what life would be like as a first-year student.
But gradually, that expectation began to change as the consensus on the COVID-19 pandemic evolved; as reported cases increased, it looked like COVID-19 wasn’t leaving Canada any time soon. As I watched Western proactively move its classes and events online, I began to entertain, and finally embrace, the idea of an off-campus, virtual first-year experience in the GTA.
When I first considered the decision to stay home, some questions arose, namely, how would I meet other first-year students? Now as I reflect and near the end of my first semester at Western, I realize that I have two answers to this question.
Be Proactive
While classes, clubs and other events at Western allow for students to meet each other, it’s also important to be proactive yourself. With virtual classes, and especially large, asynchronous ones, it can seem next to impossible to meet many first-years. That’s why it’s important to periodically reach out to those that you do meet outside of a lecture or tutorial environment. After all, you may only be placed in the same breakout room as someone once in the semester.
Virtual study groups can accomplish this goal and allow you to meet many people that you might not have known before. As you – more often than not – spend more time complaining about the workload than actually working, you’ll likely find yourself making long-lasting connections in a relatively informal environment.
Take Advantage of What’s Offered to You
Being proactive, while helpful advice, isn’t the only way by which you can meet new people. Western has countless resources to aid off-campus students in their transition to Western such as the Society of Off-Campus Students (SOCS) and off-campus sophs.
Clubs at Western are a great way to get involved. However, in order to meet others and create those long-lasting bonds, simply joining a club may not always be enough.
So, what can you do? Well, many clubs – most notably the numerous consulting clubs on campus – have weekly projects assigned to small groups of two to five students. If possible, volunteer to take on additional work and take advantage of the opportunity to meet new people with whom you may never have otherwise interacted.
I’ve found this solution to be particularly helpful and these opportunities have allowed me to meet other first-year students as well as older students in a variety of programs from MIT to Ivey. One of the advantages of going to Western is simply the fact that the school offers so many different programs, bringing in students from all over the world with diverse experiences. So, take advantage of that and meet people! For example, during my first semester at Western, I’ve had the opportunity to meet other students in BMOS and science, some of whom are currently living halfway around the world!
Living off-campus in a different city or country can be difficult, especially in your first year. It’s never been done before, at least not on this large of a scale. That’s why it’s all the more important to not only turn to the resources that Western provides, but to be proactive yourself so that you can define your first-year experience on your own terms.