How hard is first-year university workload?

As September draws nearer, many budding first-year students experience a mix of emotions, everything from excitement and anticipation to fear and anxiety. If you’re worrying about an overwhelming workload, don’t panic — your freshman year is a learning experience, but there’s also plenty of support along the way. Here are some resources to help you manage.

Develop a peer support system. You’re certainly not the only frosh going through this, so reach out to your friends and classmates to vent, relax and swap study tips. At York, there are also more formal peer support organizations, like Students Offering Support.

Touch base with your academic advisor. Every college, program and faculty has an academic advisor to help guide you through first year and beyond, offering advice on everything from choosing majors and minors to setting personal goals to successfully navigating a full course load.

Learn new skills. Often, it’s not about the workload but how you cope with it using the right time management, organization, note-taking and reading skills. You can get help, tips and hacks from campus learning skills services or online study hubs.

Practice healthy coping skills. This is a super fun and easy way to tackle first-year stress — balance school with relaxing and unwinding with friends, intramural sports or an exciting student club. Exercise and frequent short breaks during studying also help.

Ask for extra help when needed. Never be ashamed to take advantage of additional supports, like counselling and disabilities services, which can make a big positive impact for those with permanent or temporary mental, physical or learning difficulties.

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How to meet people when you start university

So, you’ve made the tough decision of deciding which university to go to, and found the right fit for your personal and professional goals. But now that the major academic questions are out of the way, you want to make sure you enjoy the social connections and fun activities that are an essential part of the overall post-secondary experience. Here are some tips to get you on the fast track to making friends for life.

Don’t skip orientation. Also known as Frosh, this jam-packed week or so is your first opportunity to start meeting new people, and it’s filled with exciting events like dances, boat cruises, ice breakers and local adventures to help you discover your new city. If you’re not into big festivities, pick a handful of low-key activities to attend.

Start with a smaller circle. Many big universities are divided into smaller colleges to foster real close-knit community vibes. At York, there are nine colleges divided by majors, so you’ll be sure to have plenty to talk about with the people in yours.

Dive into residence life. You’ll be spending tons of time hanging out with these folks in your sweats, making your roomies the perfect people to strike up a conversation on everything from microwave haute cuisine to exam cramming tips. Plus, there’s opportunities to participate in residence social events or get a gig as a don.

Get a side hustle. A job, internship or work/study placement is a great way to meet new interesting people, while forging a professional network of contacts in your industry, getting valuable resume experience and earning some cash.

Follow your passion. Doing what you love will make you happy, give you self-confidence and help you meet people with the same values and interests. Whether you volunteer for a good cause, join one of 300+ clubs on campus, write for the school paper or one of dozens of campus publications, or participate in a team or friendly intramurals, the possibilities are endless.

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Get To Know Your Chosen University Up Close And Personal

So, you’ve selected the place where you’ll spend the next few years of your life. Now the fun part begins — becoming familiar with the campuses and forming exciting relationships that’ll last a lifetime. Here are easy ways to break the ice and get involved in your new community:

Orientation. Even if you live far away, try to attend both academic and social orientation. The first will get you on track for academic success throughout the year, while the second is tons of fun and makes sure you’ll have someone to talk to on the first day of classes.

College life. Bigger universities can be harder to navigate, which is why York has nine smaller colleges to help you ease into your new environment. They’re organized loosely by majors, so chances are you have lots in common with the people in yours. Check out local events, clubs and hang outs in your college to start feeling at home.

Join a club or team. Participating in a club is a great way to make friends and start building your resume. And a diverse campus like York has 300+ clubs – everything from Quidditch to feminism to salsa dancing. Meanwhile, there’s a York Lions team for every sport, recreational activity and skill level to help you get fit and de-stress during exam season.

 Get a job. Follow your passion, earn some extra money and get a job that relates to your degree with a part-time gig on campus. York offers work/study positions, research assistantships and jobs for international students. There are also many organizations on campus that hire students in almost any industry you can think of, from radio broadcasting to politics and community leadership.

 Participate in free events. Enjoy events perfect for tight student budgets without leaving campus. Check out concerts, movies, art galleries and York’s own observatory (free!) throughout the year for unique and affordable good times.

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How To Make The Right Decision When You Receive Your Acceptance Letter

After all your hard work getting good grades, putting together your application and deciding which schools to apply for, you’ve been accepted — congratulations! But now how can you make what feels like one of the most important decisions of your life?

Obviously, you like the program and the school enough to have applied. Here are some key things to consider beyond these basics that will make your postsecondary experience truly memorable and successful:

1. Practical opportunities. Don’t want to have to go to college after four years of university just to get a job in your field? Pick a university that offers experiential learning, meaning things like co-op, internships and work placements. And don’t discount the value of class-based skills development. For example, did you know that York’s Professional Writing program has a fourth-year course where students actually publish a book together as a class?

2. Strong support systems. A great university should enable you to achieve your highest goals, but it should also help when you face a low point. Check out what support is available through the career centre; writing centre; and for people who have permanent or temporary physical, learning or mental health disabilities. And don’t forget about financial support, which is just as important for completing your education. Be sure to check out available scholarships, awards and work/study opportunities.

3. Research daily life. Get a feel for what your life would be like. Visit the campus, tour the classrooms you’ll be attending, explore food options, and scope out the gym facilities. Hop online and browse through course descriptions, and see if you can speak to one or two professors in your department to get a glimpse of their teaching and mentorship style.

4. Explore outside the classroom. What kind of things would you like to do besides academics? Discover extra-curricular options like sports teams, intramurals, college life, and clubs.

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Choosing a university is one of the most monumental decisions you’ll ever make. With an array schools to choose from and so many elements to consider, the decision is not easy. There are a whirlwind of factors that come into play like: selecting a program that will land you a job after graduation; considering the school’s reputation and quality of teaching; choosing a path that you are passionate about; and finding an environment you’re comfortable in to enjoy the complete university experience.

With so many external pressures and uncertainties for this big transition in life, you definitely need a helpful guide.  Consider these elements to help make the leap to a university that is right for you:

Teaching and learning innovation
In today’s competitive job market, gaining hands-on experience is crucial. Whether it’s in-class learning from expert professors in the field through case studies and speakers or out of class experiences, York University offers innovative course design. It combines theoretical knowledge and practical applications to set students up to be career ready upon graduation. Students can apply what they learn in the classroom to work-focused applications like local and global internships or co-ops, community focused learning, international exchanges, lab work and research options as well as over 1900 jobs available on campus.

Unique cross-disciplinary programs
Being passionate about what you do whether in school, work or life is a driving force for success. But what if you have multiple passions? Wouldn’t it be great if you could combine your skills from different areas to acquire a unique differentiating factor? York University allows you to take courses from a range of different areas and offers blended degrees. This lets students tailor their learning to connect with their passions and study in programs that will land them a job in expected and unexpected career areas.

Dynamic research community
One of the fundamental goals of a university is to promote life-long learning and one of the key ways to achieve that is ongoing research and development. As a recognized leader in collaborative research, social innovation and knowledge mobilization, York University has international rankings for strengths in a range of disciplines from arts, to humanities, to social sciences, to business, to law and many more. With more than 280 universities partnerships world-wide, students contribute to constant change about how we think about everything in life.

Supportive environment
Making the leap to university and the next big step in life can be a nerve racking process for many incoming students. It’s important to make sure you feel comfortable and ensure that the university you choose will facilitate a positive learning environment. That is why community engagement is a key priority for York University students, providing the clubs, mentors and tools to support students.
The path to one’s future is never straight or clear cut. To set yourself up for a dream job and life consider not only how you’ll survive your education, but what will turn you into a successful graduate to thrive in the work world.

When selecting a university many think about academics — the importance of in-class learning, studying and achieving top marks. While all these things are important, coupling theoretical knowledge with real-life practical experience can be the key differentiating factor to land you a job once you graduate. In today’s competitive job market, employers are placing an increased emphasis on education that focuses on hands-on experience in the classroom or community and builds transferable skills for the workplace.

This is why York University offers a diverse range of experiential education opportunities—in the classroom, the workplace, the community and abroad—to help you bring learning to life. With hundreds of international exchanges, unique guest speakers, student-led community improvement projects, internships, co-operative education placements and more, your opportunities to put your passion into practice are endless.

Here are the top reasons why hands-on experience is crucial to becoming career-ready when you graduate:

1. It introduces you to the world. Making the shift from a school mindset to a working mentality can be difficult. From in-class speakers to co-op education, students are given the opportunity to integrate their classroom learning with hands-on experience, as well as alternate periods of study with periods of hands-on learning. This allows students to ease into working life without being thrown in head first.
2. It sets you apart from other candidates. York’s international exchange program provides a multitude of different opportunities from around the world, enabling students to earn a portion of their credits in countries like Australia, Brazil, China, France, India and more. This not only exposes them to different cultures, but gives them experiences that other job applicants will likely not have.
3. It can help you identify your own strengths and skills. Through internships either locally or globally, supervised learning lets students gain experience in their field while being reviewed and given feedback to help them excel and capitalize on their skills.
4. It shows your areas of interest and character. Community-based education at York University creates opportunities for students to form valuable connections with their neighbours. One such program is Kin Kids program, which gives undergraduate kinesiology students the chance to lead local school children in games designed to boost physical activity and improve physical health. This can give employers a sense of your good character and help them feel confident that you will contribute to a positive work culture. At York University, many of our programs are designed with community-based education as an integral part of learning.
5. It helps you build connections in the industry. Through hands-on experience in the community or classroom, students develop not only the key transferable competencies and skills necessary for the workplace, but also a network of contacts in their field before they graduate.

Bringing the modern classroom out into the world provides students with unique experiential learning that inspires new ways of thinking and ultimately sets them up for success.