When Edmund Hillary first reached the summit of Mount Everest in 1953, he was truly on top of the world. At that point in time, there was no reaching a greater height than the peak of the world’s tallest mountain. That was until Neil Armstrong stepped out of the Apollo 11 spacecraft and onto the surface of the moon.
Humanity’s greatest accomplishments are numerous; throughout our history as a species, we have proven time and time again that it is always possible to push the boundaries of what’s possible; there is always another mountain for us to climb.
Now I’m not saying that every single one of us is going to land on Mars one day. We aren’t all quite as ambitious as Elon Musk. But that isn’t to say that we don’t have goals of our own that we’re striving to achieve; our own Mt. Everest, per se. Whether we know it or not, we spend our days feeding our ambitions, wanting to reach that next milestone. For many AEO students, that milestone was the acceptance letter to the AEO program. I know that it felt like summiting a mountain when that email came through.
Looking forward to third year is a whole different ball game though. Yes, one mountain has been summitted, but now I look towards the massive hurdle that is adjusting and thriving in an actual Ivey classroom. I look at that and see a hurdle that I don’t know if I’ll be able to overcome. I see a mountain that might be a little too steep to summit.
At least, I thought that was the case.
Enter Felicia Liang, HBA1 student, health science dual major and residence don extraordinaire. As the current VP of Academics for the UWO Women in STEM club and the former VP of Programming for Elgin Hall Residence Council, Felicia has seen it all in terms of university struggles. However, even her wealth of experience wasn’t enough to completely predict the challenges she would face when starting her HBA in third year. Not only does she represent a student who is thriving in her dual degree, but also one who overcame the trials and tribulations of getting there.
Felicia, like myself, was a high school student of many interests. “I was still on the fence about fully committing to either science or business” she recounted, admitting that she “went the AEO route for the flexibility it gave in the 2+2 model.” But it wasn’t until her second year in health sciences, taking all the honours spec module courses that the push towards Ivey became apparent. “I found with networking, Business 2257, and my own research, that the intersection of the two [degrees] could lead me to an even larger variety of opportunities for jobs later down the line,” she said. “It felt pretty worth it to me to pursue both.”
Of course, the biggest mountains were yet to come for Felicia, who started her HBA1 in the fall of this year. “The first two years of your degree are a whole different ball game” she explained. “While I've definitely adapted to it now, one change I didn't necessarily expect was how much your academic schedule determines your week. With the 8 AM - 1 PM classes, 24hr, 48 hr, and Learning Team or Cross-Sectional Team meetings, your attendance to all these important academic commitments definitely requires self-discipline and resiliency. You become very intentional with how you plan each day versus how I was a bit more "go with the flow" for the majority of first and second year as I had much more spare time.”
Yes, it’s a big shift, but Liang assures me that “once you understand what works for you with the after-hours of classes and academic commitments, you can leverage it in a way that allows you to achieve a good balance between your academic and personal life.” That’s something she advocated strongly for when I spoke to her. For Liang, knowing when to say no is just as important as putting in the hours of work. “You know your own study habits better than anyone,” she reminded me. “Being an Ivey student will give you plenty of new opportunities, but it’s important to remember that you are always empowered to say no.”
The world at Western is big. Especially as a first year, it seems hard to find your place in all of this. The transition from your first two years into Ivey isn’t an easy one, and despite the steps you’re taking to prepare, starting Ivey in your third year will require a change of lifestyle. But Felicia had one last tip for me, and for any Ivey prospective students looking at pursuing a dual degree (or even an HBA in general): talk to upper year students. “Whether you are looking to hear more about Ivey, a specific job industry, extracurriculars, sports, etc, it seriously never hurts to hear from someone who has once been in your shoes to shed some light on how they got to their position and what learnings they may be able to share.” Chances are, they’ve faced the same dilemmas you’re facing, and can grace you with their wisdom from their failures and successes.
So put on those hiking boots and brace yourself for the heavy climb that is the transition into Ivey. That mountain isn’t an easy one to conquer. But Liang assures me that reaching the summit - the first of many summits in a lifetime - is worth it. That gives me a lot of hope.