Greatest University Challenges of 2009!

I have kindly provided the top challenges I underwent in the first semester and how I plan to change it in the coming semester of 2010.

Away from home: Four hours between Toronto and Ottawa. Some would say it is the perfect distance. Far enough from the rents, yet close enough to feel comfortable. Some students travel across the world to come to Carleton to experience a new cultural environment. Some come from hot climates and are forced to experience the coldest Ottawa winters and some come from places much the same. Being away from home is hard no matter if you're an hour car ride away or 20 hour plane ride - it's hard! It's OK to call your parents and see what they are up to. Your parents expect that you will at some point call home and admit that you actually miss them.

My challenge was learning how to deal with things on my own - shopping, transportation, stressful situations and so on. This was hard because even though I did these things back home it was different. If I found I had to travel to the other side of the city or I was stuck somewhere I couldn't just call up my parents and ask them to rescue me. If my computer broke down and I needed it fixed my parents couldn't "take care of it". If I realized I was running low on cash, I couldn't just ask my parents to supply me with more money. These situations were tend to realize because, hey, as we all do we fail to see some of the small things our family does for us that we might not take notice of.

What I plan to do: Build a better support network. Keep busy. Call home regularly and go home when I feel like I need to.


Budgeting: How much did you put on your campus card? HOW MUCH!? Yep, it has happened to the best of us. Your parents leave you off with a card full of money. You woke up late, no time for breakfast, no problem you'll eat on-the-go. You need to get downtown. That's no problem either you'll buy a set of bus tickets. You have a big assignment due you need coffee and snacks. No problem you've got your campus card. You came back from a late night. No problem you'll go to the Oasis at 3 am and buy yourself a pizza. Now. Think about these decisions and multiply them by 40. Where did all the money go? I asked myself the same question.

My biggest challenge. How to manage my money. From not thinking twice about how I spend my money and where it goes I ended up looking for sales on toilet paper - seriously. I realized that I was buying a coffee a day which added up to about 40 dollars a month and all I could think about was oh it's only a buck fifty. Money adds up and it's so easy for us to think that because something is so cheap that it doesn't hurt our budget. Bus tickets alone were expensive and added up too. I was spending at minimum 12 dollars a week just on two days worth of busing. More than that was the sheer amount of money I spend on food and snacking - poof! Money gone in a jiffy, whether it was at Roosters or Starbucks or Tim Hortons or Obstensions it was eating my money. For all of you students out there who are thinking about a credit card... this is a good was to see how you manage your money.

How I plan to change it: I'm going to buy a monthly pass because it will save me a lot of stress and worry. Also, since I have to bus twice a day the money is a necessity. I also plan to start going food shopping off campus and pre-making lunches and snacks so that if I'm in a hurry I have things at home. Most importantly I am going to buy a thermos so that when I need coffee on-the-go I can make it in the morning and take it with me. Also if you're a tea person you can always carry around extra tea bags with you and ask for hot water. It's really cheap!


Freshman 15: Lets just say it's baby-phat, OK? We all know that this is the GREATEST fear for many students who care about how much weight they'll put on in their first year - new environment, new challenges, new friends, home sickness, school stress and the cafeteria. It's OK! The greatest thing about Carleton is you have a membership to the school Gym and the countless teams you can join. In nice weather, there's a lovely path along the Canal which is amazing to run, walk, rollerblade and bike by. Freshman 15 is also when you're a freshman you'll, hopefully, you'll become more adjusted if not in the second semester then second year!

My greatest challenge was the weight gain. My eyes were bulging out of my sockets with these special lenses analyzing each inch I grow. Hey, I will say it wasn't that much... I don't know if I made it to 15, but it was hard and it still is. I accept that I'm learning though and the only thing familiar to me is food so it becomes my best friend. Join me at the gym - we'll work on it!


Balancing time: You either party way too much or your head is stuck in the books. You've spend the weekend drinking and sit down at your computer on Sunday night with a paper due Monday morning going "$^#$^&% I will never finish this on time. Or you spend the weekend with your head in the books and realize you never made it for your best friend’s birthday party.

My greatest challenge was managing time. I spent day after day, weekend after weekend with my head in my books. I was always afraid that I would end up wasting time when I "should've been studying." I've seen a lot of my friends do the exact opposite. It's hard because I'm no better with my head in the books. I got upset a lot because all my friends were going out and I wasn't. I never gave myself a chance to get away both mentally and physically away from my books.

How I plan to change it: I've made a commitment to go out once a week no matter what and no matter what I do whether it be clubbing or going out for coffee.


Marks: It has been said that you're marks will drop by 10% from your high school average. Well, some people it could drop as low as 30% and sometimes you can even match your high school average and if you're lucky even beat it. This is all based on experience, commitment, adjustment, and of course brilliance.

My greatest challenge was seeing a 62 per cent. This was solely based on bad citations because I waited until the last minute to do them. BIGGEST ADVICE: They will catch you, they will penalize you, even if it wasn't your fault and it was just sloppy. It's UNEXCEPTABLE. I'm lucky I didn't get a zero for sloppy situations. Anyway, point being when you see your marks and they're not up to par with your expectations - it's OK! It's first year and with hard work and commitment you will do better and get the hang of it.

What I plan to do: Stop freaking out!

Long Distance Relationship: By far the hardest university challenge and, I guess, challenge overall. For many students out there some have had a summer romance right before first year or have had that special someone growing up. All of a sudden you're both going to different schools, but vow to be faithful and think of no one else. Some make it some don't. Some are close enough some are too far away.

The biggest challenge was my own long distance relationship with someone very special very far away in Australia (I know). We try to make things work, but we ended up stressed and hurt all the time. I have the extreme case, of course, but it's the prime example of what type of changes happen. You're on the phone to someone you rarely see. You pass off time to meet friends and go out and have a good time to stay in and speak to them. You're constantly suspicious of every move they make and everything they say - there is no way to validate the truth. You argue because you can't accept the fact that your so far away. You start to drift and make your life more difficult by trying to become closer when it just isn't happening. You hold onto it because you're scared to lose it. Then you wake up one day and realize how much you missed out on and boy do you. So, biggest advice is that some LDRs work and some don't.

So, if' you can relate and you feel the same sort of feelings maybe you should re-evaluate your decision and think twice about what you're truly gaining.

How I plan to change it: We've decided to move into 2010 to better ourselves without each other. It will be much healthier because I don't have to worry about what he's doing and vice versa.