Making the transition from high school to university can be daunting. All six of us had common fears like ‘am I going to be able to find friends?’, ‘will I be able to succeed in a new setting’?
We know that a lot of people might think, ‘it’s easier to work on my own’ or ‘other people are unreliable.’ Contrary to those beliefs, the people in your team are your greatest assets. When we were accepted into the Accounting and Financial Management program at the University of Waterloo, to be honest, we were afraid of not knowing anyone in our classes—but then we were introduced to our SAF Crew.
Dear high school students, you might be scared of the prospect of university, so here are five lessons we learned that we wish we knew back when we were in your shoes.
We know you must be very nervous coming into university. It’s a challenging transition — but don’t worry, because you’ll meet awesome classmates and friends from your Crew.
Your Crew is essentially your team for first-year. There’s four to six of you, and you get to share plenty of classes and other team-building experiences with one another. Working in Crews has made us comfortable sharing our ideas and opinions more openly, and it has made us more responsible. When you know someone is counting on you, you’re much more likely to put your best foot forward. Our Crew also keep us accountable.
Working in Crews has taught us so much, ranging from learning how to cohesively work together as one, to finding all the best places for Shawarma in town. On a more serious note, teamwork is one of the best attributes of the Crew system in the School of Accounting and Finance.
The bond we built allowed us to motivate and push each other to be better. We want you guys to know that even the smallest get togethers or moments with your Crew can make a big difference when it matters.
In our first year, SAF placed us into small groups (four to six students) referred to as Crews which acts as a support system, providing each other with support regarding academics and personal growth. What are the dynamics of our Crew you ask?
During my COVID-19 home quarantine I have had some time to reflect on my first year of university. Below are the three most important things that I learned:
On February 20th 2020, the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) faculty, staff, alumni, and members of CPA Ontario gathered in downtown Toronto to celebrate the successes of SAF graduates in their Common Final Examinations (CFE) to become a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA). The National Cub on Bay Street graciously held the event for us in their front room, which immediately made me forget that we were in the middle of Toronto and not a century old English manor house.