You’ve probably heard it all by now — how first year was the best time of your orientation leader’s life, how the world opens up once you’re an adult and how your time at UBC is the perfect opportunity for you to learn who you are. Blah blah blah. Clichés suck!
But the thing is, these clichés are true. At UBC, you’ll be faced with the realities of (drum roll, please): THE REAL WORLD, including finding your place in it.
While you might be scared shitless to enter the dining hall for the first week or so and you’ll most definitely end up crying yourself to sleep your first night in your dorm because you’re absolutely certain you’ll never again feel the embrace of your loved ones back home (you’re just tired, get some sleep), you’ll learn and grow in unimaginable ways.
You’ll learn that failure is real (and completely okay). You’ll find your passions. You’ll make friends that’ll become family. You’ll join a club (or several) that you’ll never actually participate in. You’ll make memories in your residence commonsblock. You’ll point out someone in the Nest and say “That guy’s my opp!” to your friend, accidentally loud enough that they overhear you (true story — if you’re reading this: I’m sorry).
You’ll get rained on during homecoming. You’ll write for The Ubyssey (OMG, how’d that get in there…). You’ll break up, make up and (maybe) break up again. And you’ll most likely throw up in a bush, whether from stress, shots or a stomach bug.
Experiencing life is what university is all about. On a campus with a million different courses, clubs, cultures and more — you’ll find your people and you’ll find yourself. Learning who you are and what you care about is a big task — you might not complete it while at UBC, but it’s a place to start.
And if you need someone to rant to or celebrate your wins with, you have your community — and you have us: a newspaper filled with students trying to understand ourselves, just like you. Come visit us in room 2208 in the Nest.
Welcome to UBC, Class of 2028! In the famous words of Hannah Montana: “Life’s what you make it, so let’s make it rock!
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