Child, Youth & Family at University of Guelph
Updated: Jun 29, 2020
Rayann (Year 3)
@rayannho
What made you choose this institution over all others? Did the university exceed your expectations?
I chose to study at UofG because of the program; it allowed me to gain many work experiences through co-op and practicum. Guelph was away from home but close enough where I could come back every weekend, and overall, I liked the campus (big gym, modern lecture halls, and great food)!
Do you have any lingering thoughts or regrets in your year as a whole (ex; application process, mistakes going into first year). If so, describe them.
I wish I had joined more clubs and teams; it would have been a good way for me to meet new people outside of my program and connect with the school on a higher level.
Briefly describe the academic rigour of your program (in terms of competitiveness, courses, professors, etc.)
The professors and TA were helpful when it came to needing help on assignments or concepts. Compared to high school, I had to be very independent when it came to homework and understanding the material; I had to teach myself a lot of the concepts and go through lecture notes multiple times to grasp onto the knowledge completely.
Describe the social life at your campus based on your own experiences (making friends, clubs + extracurriculars, party culture etc.)
Luckily during orientation week, I was able to meet many individuals who were in the same program as me and are friends with me to this day. To develop those friendships, the majority of the time, I had to initiate the conversations, or making friends would've been a lot more challenging. At Guelph, there are many clubs and volunteer opportunities to join; however, I did not participate in many as I would have liked. It was hard for me to balance out my social and school life during the first year as it took time for me to get used to the change, however, as second year went on, I became a lot more comfortable.
What are some of the best and worst parts of your university experience so far?
The best part about university was being able to meet so many people around the world as well as those who have similar career goals as myself. Another part of university I really enjoyed was the amount of freedom I had while studying (i.e. living away from home, creating your own schedule around lecture times etc.). However, the worst part about university was during first year, first semester. It took some time to get used to the change in atmosphere; I had to become a lot more independent and sociable in order to make friends and manage school.
List three effective study techniques and/or habits:
Friends/Meeting People
Finding time for myself (going to the gym)
Organizing and planning out my week/day
List three pieces of advice for first-year students:
Go out of your way to meet people
Join extracurricular activities
Use the resources that are provided
Have fun, it's all about balance