What I would tell my first-year self

You can’t expect to know things until you’ve experienced them.

As I approach my fourth year in the Accounting and Financial Management (AFM) program, I’ve had a bit of time on my hands to reflect on things I wish I could tell my first-year self, or rather things I wish I knew back then. For any first-year student reading this, I hope it resonates with you and helps you even in the slightest bit. Here goes!

Being a first-year student can be intimidating as there are so many things to figure out like classes, meals, friends, and the campus itself! And as an international student, there are tons of other things to figure out as well, like getting a phone, setting up a bank account, and having your family across the world! But in those brief moments of hesitance where you want to stay in the comfort of your room, you should pause for a second, take a breath, and remember that you can only know things after you’ve experienced them (yes, that’s the sub-headline). I would tell first-year me to walk across campus, even if it’s snowing, and go to that club meeting or event happening. I would tell her to explore her options, put herself out there, and meet people from outside the SAF community so she can have conversations that don’t revolve around debits and credits in her first year. But most importantly, I would tell her to enjoy her first year and be as courageous as possible, so she can grow without any regrets.