The start of anther school year is always filled with a range of emotions – excitement, hesitation, nervousness and anticipation – and, the good news is, every student experiences a similar range of emotions during their first few weeks of school.

First year student Alyssa Nikolic explains how she’s feeling about the start of her academic career at Trent University Durham on the Student Life Blog.

A Blog from an Incoming Student

This post was originally featured on Trent University Durham’s Student Life Blog

By: Alyssa Nikolic

It’s always strange to think that in just a mere few weeks I will be starting my very first day at university. For as long as I can remember I have said that I am going to attend Trent and learn to be a teacher, and this is quickly becoming a reality. The fact that summer is coming to a close makes me realize just how nervous I am to switch over from my life as a high school student to that of a university student.

Throughout the summer I have been watching countless videos and reading many articles about what to expect during my first few weeks of university. There are days where I feel as though I am completely prepared, but there are other days when I spend hours contemplating all the things that could go wrong if I do not try hard enough. I am constantly concerned about my grades in university and whether or not I will be able to manage my time so that I can end up getting all of my future assignments created.

I was fairly good at managing my time in high school, and it led me to some personal successes, but I know that I will need to figure out an improved method of managing my time. One of the challenges in this is finding ways to balance my time between my various classes, while working a part time job and while maintaining some kind of social life.

I also think about how different it is knowing that I will not be going to school with people I have known since kindergarten. Many of my friends from school are preparing to move away for their education, and many of those friends I have been with for 10 years. Knowing that we are all going our separate ways scares me, but at the same time I am excited for the opportunity to meet many new faces and to make many friends that will hopefully continue for a life time.

Although I find myself getting extremely nervous about what is to come, I have noticed that I am still not as nervous as I was during my first few weeks of high school, which came to a surprise for me. I am very grateful for all the support that I have been receiving from the staff at Trent, because without the help they have given me I would be completely and utterly lost by time I actually made it to my first week. I am so happy to be part of such a tight knit community and although I am nervous for what is to come I know that I will make it through my first year with a positive attitude, along with the help I have received throughout the summer when it comes to what to expect for my first week of school.

I hope this post allows to you see that you truly are not the only one who is nervous for these experiences, and I cannot wait to share more of my experiences as the year progresses.

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