Ah college, four years of booze filled, party going, long-lasting friendship making surrounded by beautiful New England castle-like campuses. Well, at least that’s what I expected after watching too many American college-themed movies. After going to uni in Canada, I experienced zero of these things. My expectations for college were unrealistic and I quickly cracked under the pressure, became depressed, gained Freshman 35 (thanks Mindy Kaling for the term) and barely passed my classes near the end. Every year, I have a younger cousin cousin who’s about to start college ( my dad has 9 siblings, therefore I literally have a cousin or two starting college every year). Each year, I copy paste them the same advice I wish I had learnt before starting college
1. College is hard, don’t coast –Really, it’s not easy. At first I thought it was due to the fact that I chose a complicated topic – biopharmaceutical sciences – but no matter what subject you choose to specialize in, it will be challenging. There is a multitude of readings, assignments and tests simultaneously for each class. There are sometimes additional labs and discussions groups. It can all get very stressful but the best thing to do is to manage time
2. Mental health is more important than college- In my third year of uni, I fell into a really deep depression, I gained a lot of weight, leaving the house to go to class was a hard task. I started drinking a lot and had negative thoughts. By my fourth year, it was really bad. I definitely should have looked into professional help. I switched my major and stated a minor in Psychology which helped a lot with my depression. Getting a degree should never come before your well being
