I
wrote
my
final
exam
yesterday
and
a
day
later
I’m
still
experiencing
the
euphoria
that
the
exams
for
term
one
are
over.
It
is
now
December
23,
2011
and
not
only
did
I
make
it
through
my
first
four
months
at
the
University
of
Waterloo,
I
made
it
through
successfully.
Make
no
mistake
about
it;
this
success
did
not
come
easily.
It
took
a
great
deal
of
hard
work
that
included
studying
late
into
many
nights
-
despite
the
fact
that
I
felt
I
was
more
prepared
than
most
on
what
to
expect
during
the
first
term.
Having
said
this,
the
last
four
months,
although
gruelling
at
times,
have
also
been
among
some
of
the
most
rewarding
and
best
times
of
my
life.
Tyler,
on
his
first
day
at
the
University
of
Waterloo
It
was
just
over
a
year
ago
when
I
received
the
coveted
early
acceptance
letter
that
offered
me
the
program
that
I
wanted
to
study
at
my
first
choice
university
and
I
was
elated.
The
main
reason
for
wanting
to
attend
the
University
of
Waterloo
was
a
combination
of
the
excellent
reputation
the
Earth
Science
department
held
and
the
University
of
Waterloo’s
strong
co-op
program.
The
ability
to
earn
my
degree
while
gaining
related
work
experience
and
earn
money
to
pay
for
part
of
my
education
seemed
like
an
invaluable
asset
that
could
not
be
overlooked.
My
primary
motivation
to
pursue
Earth
Sciences
as
a
field
of
study
and
to
specialize
in
Geology,
which
can
also
lead
to
being
APGO
(Association
of
Professional
Geoscientists
of
Ontario)
certified,
was
simply
because
I
enjoy
the
outdoors,
particularly
remote
locations,
and
in
general,
the
Earth
Sciences
field
fulfills
this
requirement.
In
particular,
entry
level
positions
often
involve
trips
into
the
field
for
days,
weeks
or
months
at
a
time
with
a
team
of
geologists
to
map
the
lithosphere
and
gather
samples
to
be
later
analyzed
by
senior
staff
members.
This
career
appeared
to
fit
in
perfectly
with
my
interests
because
I
love
backpacking,
climbing,
canoeing,
swimming,
and
skiing.
Since
I
was
young,
my
parents
always
took
my
brother
and
I
on
adventurous
vacations
such
hiking
in
Banff,
horseback
riding
over
mountain
passes
in
Jasper,
backcountry
canoeing
in
Killarney,
snorkelling
in
Belize,
or
just
getting
us
out
of
bed
in
the
middle
of
the
night
in
Costa
Rica
to
watch
Arenal
Volcano
erupt.
If
I
had
any
doubt
that
a
career
requiring
extended
stays
in
remote
locations
might
not
be
for
me
–
my
three
week
backpacking
trip
this
past
summer
in
the
Canadian
Rockies
confirmed
that
I
was
definitely
on
the
right
track.
I
also
learned,
while
attending
a
science
information
session
at
the
University
of
Waterloo’s
Annual
Fall
Open
House,
that
although
Canada’s
mineral
industry
is
one
of
the
largest
in
the
world,
certified
geoscientists
are
in
high
demand
because
relatively
few
young
people
choose
to
pursue
an
education
in
Earth
Science
due
in
large
part
to
the
fact
that
they
are
rarely
exposed
to
this
subject
in
high
school.
As
a
result,
qualified
geologists
are
in
high
demand
and
as
economics
would
have
it,
their
salary
reflects
this
demand.
I
attended
many
university
open
houses
with
my
parents
while
in
grades
11
and
12
and
each
time
we
left
Waterloo
it
was
the
Earth
Sciences
students
as
well
as
the
professors
that
got
me
excited
about
this
program.
It
was
their
genuine
enthusiasm
and
their
willingness
to
talk
in
depth
about
their
passion,
experiences
and
travels
that
also
intrigued
me
during
the
early
stages
of
my
career
search.
For
all
these
reasons
I
knew
that
the
Earth
Sciences
co-op
program
at
the
University
of
Waterloo
was
right
for
me
and
my
future.
Tyler
on
his
three
week
backpacking
trip
into
the
Canadian
Rockies.
After
the
anticipation
of
waiting
to
be
accepted
was
over,
I
returned
my
focus
to
doing
well
in
my
final
Grade
12
year
and
did
not
give
much
thought
to
university
until
after
graduation.
By
the
summer
I
began
wondering,
and
admittedly
worrying
a
little,
about
what
university
life
would
be
like
so
to
ease
my
mind
I
decided
to
attend
Student
Life
101.
This
two-day
session
during
the
summer
at
the
University
of
Waterloo
helped
me
find
my
way
around
campus,
allowed
me
to
stay
overnight
in
Ron
Eydt
Village
which
I
knew
would
soon
be
my
home
for
eight
months,
and
gave
me
a
feel
(or
should
I
say
a
warning)
for
what
the
workload
would
be
like
during
the
first
year.
This
heavy
workload
caution,
coupled
with
repeated
warnings
that
the
first
few
weeks
were
critical
to
my
first
term
success,
began
to
increase
my
stress
level
–
and
this
was
not
what
I
hoped
to
get
out
of
Student
Life
101.
By
the
time
my
parents
picked
me
up
after
the
two-day
session
I
came
to
realize
that
I
was
more
anxious
than
ever
as
I
began
to
seriously
doubt
that
I
could
keep
up
with
the
pace
and
volume
of
work.
As
I
got
into
their
car
the
first
question
I
had
for
my
parents
was,
“what
happens
if
I
can’t
do
this?”
Fortunately,
I
have
supportive
parents
and
they
explained
to
me
that
the
warning
was
most
likely
geared
to
students
who
often
find
themselves
consumed
in
their
new
found
freedom
and
by
the
time
they
realize
they
are
behind
in
their
studies
it
is
often
difficult
to
fully
recover.
They
felt
it
was
a
simple
matter
of
working
hard,
staying
focused
and
managing
priorities
while
also
knowing
when
to
make
room
for
some
down
time,
and
since
I
was
able
to
do
it
in
high
school
they
felt
confident
I
would
continue
this
pattern
at
the
University
of
Waterloo.
After
18
years
I’ve
learned
that
they
are
often
right
so
I
continued
on
with
the
task
of
enjoying
the
summer.
Labour
Day
weekend
arrived
all
too
quickly
and
before
I
knew
it
I
was
moving
into
residence
with
hundreds
of
other
first
year
students.
After
unpacking
and
saying
good-bye
my
parents
left
for
their
long,
one
hour
drive
home.
That
good-bye
marked
the
beginning
of
Orientation
Week
as
I
began
to
meet
and
get
to
know
fellow
students
on
my
floor,
in
my
program,
as
well
as
my
roommate,
who
turned
out
to
be
a
great
guy.
He
brought
an
Xbox
and
a
TV
which
was
a
pleasant
surprise
–
we
clearly
already
had
something
in
common.
I
was
also
surprised
that
the
dons
actually
read
the
preference
forms
because
they
did
an
awesome
job
of
matching
up
students
on
our
floor
with
similar
habits
and
interests.
During
Orientation
Week
I
discovered
that
my
floor
was
quickly
nicknamed
the
“party
floor”
of
my
residence
which
definitely
led
to
a
lot
of
interesting
events
over
the
course
of
the
next
few
months.
I
also
met
the
other
14
first
year
Earth
Sciences
students,
most
who
are
also
in
the
co-op
program,
and
I
was
again
surprised
by
how
much
we
have
in
common.
Within
the
first
month
some
of
us
were
already
planning
a
hiking/camping
trip
for
when
second
term
ends
in
April.
This
low
number
of
15
direct
entry
students
into
Earth
Sciences
represents
how
few
students
take
this
career
path
after
high
school
but
it
should
be
noted
that
this
number
has
almost
doubled
since
last
year
even
though
the
minimum
acceptance
average
has
gone
up
to
80%
within
the
Faculty
of
Science.
Another
positive
note
is
that
100%
of
the
Earth
Sciences
co-op
students
were
successful
in
securing
geoscience
jobs
last
year
despite
the
economic
downturn.
The
future
is
clearly
optimistic
for
current
Earth
Sciences
students.
Tyler
and
his
brother
canoeing
in
Killarney
Provincial
Park
Throughout
the
fall
term
I
had
some
of
the
best
times
of
my
life
(Laurier
parties!)
and
some
of
the
worst
times
in
which
I
had
to
stay
up
until
three
or
four
in
the
morning
to
finish
an
assignment.
But
don’t
get
me
wrong,
I
am
not
a
procrastinator;
it’s
just
that
at
times
the
volume
of
work
forces
you
to
sacrifice
precious
sleep
time.
However,
I
would
definitely
recommend
trying
to
avoid
this
situation
as
much
as
possible
because
you
just
can’t
function
as
effectively
the
next
day
on
such
little
sleep.
Fortunately,
there’s
lots
of
help
available
including
in-residence
tutoring
and
scheduled
tutorial
sessions
which
many
students
fail
to
take
advantage
of.
These
sessions
are
academically
beneficial
and
can
save
you
hours
of
frustration
so
be
sure
to
use
these
resources.
Furthermore,
when
I
applied
for
residence
I
accepted
the
option
to
be
a
part
of
the
Living
Learning
Community
and
as
a
result
the
majority
of
students
on
my
floor
are
also
Physical
Sciences
students.
This
turned
out
to
be
advantageous
because
whenever
I
was
stuck
on
a
problem
there
was
always
someone
nearby
who
could
help
me
out.
During
Orientation
Week
a
fellow
Earth
Sciences
student
and
I
discovered
the
bouldering
wall
in
the
Physical
Activity
Complex
and
this
is
basically
a
rock
wall
that
is
not
very
high
so
ropes
are
not
required.
I
figured
if
I
am
going
to
studying
rocks
I
might
as
well
learn
to
climb
them
too.
This
turned
out
to
be
great
stress-reliever
for
me
in
the
months
to
come.
I
immediately
knew
I
had
chosen
the
right
program
about
a
month
into
first
term
when
I
found
that
my
first
year
Earth
Science
class
and
lab
(Earth
121
and
121L)
were,
hands
down,
the
most
interesting
classes.
In
particular,
learning
about
the
way
in
which
evidence
of
past
events,
that
occurred
millions
of
years
ago,
are
recorded
in
rock
formations,
thoroughly
intrigued
me.
I
was
able
to
enjoy
doing
homework
and
studying
rather
than
simply
wanting
to
get
it
done.
Hydrology
was
also
an
interesting
class
as
the
University
of
Waterloo
is
well
known
for
its
groundwater
studies
and
research.
The
lab
component
involved
getting
actual
hands-on
experience
with
groundwater
sampling
and
stream
flow
gauging
which
are
techniques
professional
hydrologists
often
use
in
the
field.
Despite
the
horror
stories
I
heard
about
first
year
calculus,
it
was
not
my
hardest
course
(even
though
I
was
never
a
big
fan
of
math)
and
was
relatively
easy
to
manage
as
long
as
I
did
all
of
the
assignments
and
occasionally
the
extra
practice
problems.
Physics
121,
on
the
other
hand,
was
definitely
the
hardest
course
and
most
other
first
year
Earth
Science
students
agreed.
After
barely
passing
the
midterm
I
felt,
for
the
first
time
ever,
like
giving
up.
However,
this
helped
me
come
to
the
realization
that
doing
the
weekly
online
assignments
was
not
nearly
enough
to
be
prepared
for
this
course
so
in
addition
I
began
working
on
the
challenging
textbook
problems
and
practice
exams
that
were
posted
online.
As
a
result
of
this,
and
some
late
nights
of
studying,
I
did
well
on
the
final
exams.
There
was
a
strange
rumour
circulating
around
campus
that
midterms
are
fairly
easy
and
final
exams
are
designed
to
make
you
fail.
This
I
found
to
be
completely
false
and
added
a
lot
of
unnecessary
stress
to
my
life
while
I
studied
for
the
final
exams.
As
long
as
you
are
prepared
and
study
well
before
exams
you
will
generally
do
better
on
the
final
exams
in
comparison
to
midterms.
After
completing
my
last
exam
I
was
quite
ecstatic
and
celebrated
with
a
few
friends
on
my
floor
who
had
not
gone
home
yet
for
the
holidays.
After
packing
and
wishing
everyone
a
Merry
Christmas
my
parents
picked
me
up
and
we
drove
straight
to
Mont
Tremblant
for
four
days
of
skiing
and
some
much
needed
rest
and
relaxation.
During
the
drive
I
looked
back
on
the
doubts
I
had
during
the
summer
and
how
rewarding
it
feels
today
to
have
made
it
through.
It
was
hard
work
but
with
the
support
system
that
the
University
of
Waterloo
has
in
place
–
it
is
possible
to
succeed
as
long
as
you
seek
out
this
help
if
you
need
it.
Throughout
this
journey,
that
has
only
begun,
I’ve
had
a
lot
of
good
times,
a
lot
of
laughs,
and
met
many
people
of
which
I
know
some
will
be
lifelong
friends.
Above
all
else
though,
I
am
now
more
certain
than
ever
before
that
the
Honours
Earth
Sciences
Co-op
Program
at
Waterloo
is
right
for
me.
Tyler
J.
Ciufo
