Introduction

Are you an explorer, or do you follow a clearly defined set of steps towards the big ‘X’ mark of your life (and no, I’m not calling you a pirate, ha!)

Are you curious what my answers are? Well, I would have to answer yes to both of these questions. Now, let me explain myself before you start thinking that I’m not making any sense.

Let me take you back to high school…sorry. In high school, we all have to take the same core subjects like Math, English, etc. Now, you get to throw in some options here and there, but if you were like me and enjoyed hanging out with your friends then you probably elected to take all of your options with your friends even if you weren’t really that interested in them. This is just one small example of following steps towards a big ‘X’ mark while neglecting to pursue the other options available to you.

First Year

Now since this blog is technically about my university experience and not about my high school years, I should probably tell you about my first year experience! Engineering students should be aware that in university, everyone still has to take the same courses, and will basically have the same set of options to choose from. When I was in my first year, I did not know what to expect with my university experience. All I knew was that I would go to my classes, study, and go home. I was terrified to stray from that mundane routine I created because I was always afraid to fail any of my classes! This led to me feeling really limited and somewhat disappointed with my university experience. I thought there would be people in university to hold my hand and show me all of the ins and outs, or help me discover who I really was. That was not the case at all. Want to know why? - I was limiting myself to the rigid structure of my academics. I had the choice to explore more, but felt held back by the fear of failure. 

Second Year

After coming to this realization, the changes I needed to make to my life didn’t happen all at once and, to be honest, it sometimes felt like nothing was changing at all! What I mean by this is that I stuck with my dull routine during the entirety of my first year. However, I quickly found out that I wasn’t the only one feeling disappointed with their university experience. BUT, by second year, I was hungry for some change (and also for food on campus, check Shawna’s post for more on that). I sought out this change by branching out of my faculty. The first thing that jumped to mind was to volunteer for the Week of Welcome program. So, an application and a couple of interviews later and I can confidently look back at my involvement with the program as one of the best things I’ve done in my life, let alone university. I also got more involved with my faculty by attending engineering events, as well as helping with the setup and execution of events whenever I can. Now, reflecting on all of the involvement opportunities I have pursued, I can finally reflect on the university experience I had always envisioned for myself. I began to see myself as a leader, someone who enjoys interacting with different types of students that have had way different experiences than myself. I felt myself becoming part of a community, a campus community.

Third Year

Now that I had gotten a taste of what my university experience should be (make sure you check out Taste of The U during Week of Welcome to sample some of the food vendors around campus), I wanted to get involved more! Third year came around and I wanted to try something a little more challenging. I joined the University of Alberta rowing club. Now, one thing you need to know about me is that I am not a sporty person per se. I consider myself terrible at sports, mediocre on a good day. So, understandably, this decision to join the rowing club terrified me, but one of my good friends was a part of it and she eventually convinced me to join! Rowing is both physically and mentally exhausting. Now I had already come to know what mental exhaustion is like (like, hello, I am a university student after all), but the physical exhaustion was something new to me. Rowing gave me a surge of excitement which I truly appreciated because it allowed me to learn new things about myself. Rowing is a sport that is about believing in yourself; pushing your mind and your body to it’s limits and achieving a sense of satisfaction after you’re done. I fully enjoyed the experience, it was something I did not expect I would tackle when I got to university but I’m really glad I did. This sport gave me something to look forward to after my classes or after my studies. It was great!

Fourth Year

My fourth year, I knew I was yet again ready for something more…delicious? In my case, this meant applying to become a senior level volunteer with Week of Welcome (Team Facilitator)! I wanted to challenge myself more, and I was already reaping the benefits of my involvement on campus. I saw this position as a big step for myself because I felt like you need to be strong as an individual to get the position. The position demands you be someone who knows themselves and is willing to show to an entire university what their campus has to offer. Someone who I would have never become if I had stayed in my little bubble. I didn’t really have a specific list of things I needed to do to find myself in university, I just kept trying different things until I found that turning point that led me to the reality I wanted.

Conclusion

SO there you have it folks. I am following some certain steps towards that big ‘X’ (which is, in this case, my future), but I found a way to break free from the circumstances that limited me and explore my options. This helped me discover who I am as a person, and I am so glad I did it. You always have the choice to explore your campus. It is, after all, up to you to get the experience you’ve been looking for. You might not know what experience that is, but I know for a fact that you will never find it unless you try to explore. Hope this helps! <3 :)

- Kyle

This article originally appeared on firstyearstories.tumblr.com