4 UNBC Life Beat the back to school Grant Bachand Team Member B eing back in school always gives me a rush of excitement. The idea that I am moving forward with my life and getting another year of school completed is very exhilarating. Howeve, if 1 have learned one thing from my four years of school, it is that once the honeymoon stage ends and the reality of school sets in, one must always be prepared for the inevitable stress. You may find your own ways to beat the blues of school, but these ones help me. First, know where you are in your education. Blindly taking classes and hoping you will eventually get enough to Hello YXS Maryna Dahkno Team Member hat do you pack when you are leaving home for the first time ever, when there is no suitcase in the world big enough for what you want to take? For the past five years, I have been surrounded by busy roads, busier people, big buildings, obnoxious noises, anda starless sky. I have always had a deep love for both nature and solitude, and finding a perfect green place to immerse myself in was among a few things on my checklist when I began looking for a university. After hours of researching countless campuses across the country, my search led me to University of Northern British Columbia. Instantly, | fell in love with the spectacular modern architecture of the campus, as well as its location on top of Cranbrook Hill overlooking Prince George. Once I made my decision to apply to UBNC, I told my family; of course they were not happy with me wanting to move so far away so soon. graduate is a tactic that some people use. I love knowing exactly how long is left, and what I still need to do to get finished with school. I also do this because it helps me when I’m bogged down in assignments and tests to know that there are only ‘x’ amount of days left before I’m done the semester, the year, or the degree. Organization in general is always helpful. I know it may sound like a line straight from a teacher’s playbook, but I think students really benefit from a well-scheduled year. That being said, you may know for months when something is due but you are still most likely going to do it the night before, with an energy drink in hand. I told them about the research-intensive programs, small class sizes, culture friendly community, and innovative potential UNBC has being so young. It turns out convincing my parents was easier than I thought, and I received my acceptance letter sooner than expected. The wonderful staff at UNBC’s Student Advising have made the registration process a breeze. Once my schedule was finalized, all I had to do was wait for the day to move in. Waiting became one of the worst parts of this adventure so far. a couple months prior to my move, I had decided to leave the part-time job that hurt my feet and messed up my sleeping schedule. During those work free months, my friends and I climbed a mountain, went camping countless times, swam in lakes, got sunburned, and filled the silence of many nights with laughter and songs. Perhaps it was knowing I would not see them for several months in the future that drove me to organize so Yd ae Y ey LL My second recommendation is to get into, or form, a social group. Friends are key to school, as they help you discover who you are and who you want to be. Friends also make great drinking buddies; you can’t play beer pong by yourself. Go out and join a club, talk to the people in your classes, and get to know your fellow students. You'll be surprised how much easier it is to get through school knowing someone else is going through the same crises you are. In your fourth year, if you're still in touch with the same people you were friends with in your first year, you are doing something right. My final recommendation is that you really need to know where the pub is. : oii iid many getaways. I got to enjoy one of the best summers, while anxiously waiting to say goodbye to the closest people in my life. I am left speculating between which is harder to go through, firsts or lasts. Meanwhile, my head began to get cluttered with questions such as: “Which professors have the best teaching strategies?” “Where is the best place to buy used books?” and “What are some useful ways to study in University?” Thankfully, discovering a group called "UNBC Tips" on Facebook helped me to make connections with students from UNBC who happily answered my questions and welcomed me to the campus before I even got there. When I received the letter stating who my roommates would be, we immediately got in touch to introduce ourselves. Though I have not met them yet, I can already tell that we will have a good relationship For myself, many stressful nights have ended in the pub. I’m not suggesting that drinking in the key to surviving school, but if you don’t, I hope you do karate or work out a lot, because you will need it. Stress relief is huge; pubs, dojos, and gyms are all places that one should know when it comes to school. I like karaoke nights, because nothing says fun like a pint of honey-brown and the off-key singing of a group of drunken university students. I hope these help you this year and make life that much easier. Remember that school is only one part of your life. As stressful as it is, make sure you make the most of it, and learn more than just what the teacher is teaching. Learn who you are and who you want to be. living together. Talking to them has gotten me even more excited to step foot onto UNBC’s campus and start my journey. For now, my expectations of UNBC are that its community has a strong drive to learn and to create long lasting friendships. I would not mind being pleasantly surprised if my expectations are exceeded by many other factors. I hope to meet a lot of fun role models who will not only make my university experience unforgettable, but will also help me grow as an individual and make many connections around the globe. Even though I will miss the on-the-go life of Calgary, I cannot wait to escape into beautiful northern British Columbia. Being a little bit of an introvert, I will appreciate not being engulfed by tall buildings and thousands of people. Here’s a fun fact: my high school student body was close to one third of UNBC’s student body, if not half.