Eight Things I Have Learned in my (almost) Four Years of Undergrad

1. You do not need to place your entire life and existence on school.

   When I began my first year at SFU, the one thing I focused on was school and absolutely nothing else. Although this may not seem bad, it began to negatively impact my mental health and relationships with those around me as I isolated myself. The only thing I had in my mind on repeat was completing my assignments, doing my readings (in the most complex ways possible), and getting good grades. However, my lack of self-care, balance, and connection to others led to a bad first-year experience. Therefore, it is important to place other aspects of one's life as important.

2. You can still have fun while in school.

   After I started to go out with friends, make new friends, attend events and more, my grades began to improve GREATLY. I understand this as allowing myself to have a break, to boost my energy and mood for completing my work later on. While school is very important, your mental standing is just as important.

3. You will come out as a different person you entered school as.

   I entered SFU as a shy, embarrassed, unorganized teenager who was too afraid to speak to anyone new. This included other students and professors, which did not help when I was confused about assignments and projects. I am still a little shy, but I am a more confident adult who received the opportunity to learn more about myself throughout my undergrad. For example, I didn't even know what the Communications major was, but changed my major to be just that. Now I absolutely love it and everything it has taught me throughout my four years.

4. Plans do not always stay the same, and that is okay.

   
   I entered SFU as a Sociology major with plans of pursuing a minor in Psychology. I learned right away, as in after the first semester, that this would NOT be the major and minor I would graduate with after taking one Communications course. I still do not entirely know what I plan to pursue after I leave SFU, but this is okay! Switching majors, taking breaks, and going a completely different route is okay as it demonstrates growth in learning what you need and want for your future self.

5. Sometimes a break (whether this ranges from one semester to one year off) is necessary

   I have mentioned this previously, but this is an important point. Taking a break is necessary as it allows you time to work and build an improved version of yourself; which increases and improves your motivation, drive, and performance. I only took one summer semester off after my second year, but it changed many things for me. When I returned to school, my grades, mental health, and relationships increasingly improved.

6. Joining a club, union, or activity will definitely enhance your experience.

   This is my first year joining the Communications Student Union and participating in anything SFU-related, and I definitely love it. I wish I had involved myself in more activities within the school and continue to pass down this message to my younger siblings and friends entering their first year of undergrad.

7. Procrastination is definitely my recipe for success.

   This is just a key point that I learned about myself, but I found that completing my assignments way ahead of time did not mean that I would automatically receive a good mark. This is different for group projects since it is important to work with group members ahead of time to ensure that you are doing your part and not flaking. However, I learned that I work and perform better under stress and am the ultimate procrastinator.

8. Everything is going to turn out okay!

   This section is pretty much self-explanatory in that everything is going to be okay. You will end up graduating, you will receive a meaningful career, and you will achieve great things! Feeding positive realistic affirmations such as these help such desires become reflected in reality and helped me understand and believe that everything is going to be okay.