Advice for New Students: Finding your own community on campus
Two writers from The Medium describe the importance of finding the right community—whether it's the right friend group or the right club.
Listen to the audio version of this article here!*
Your company matters!!!
By Ayeshaa Murtaza
Starting university can feel like a race to find “your people,” and the first year seems to be the only time you have to make friends. I quickly learned that this is not the case.
People you barely notice in your first semester can become close friends in months, or years later. You can meet people through clubs, a random group project, or just because you happened to sit beside them one day. Some friendships will also fade—and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
What matters most is being intentional about the people you spend time with. Your environment can completely change your university experience. For example, if everyone around you constantly talks about the difficulties of courses, or stresses how “cooked” they are, university can feel more overwhelming.
During my first few weeks at UTM, people talked about getting low grades in courses—especially in chemistry and calculus. Because it seemed like everyone was struggling, I started to settle for my low grades. Instead of wanting to improve, I thought: since everyone is doing badly, it is the courses’ nature that caused unideal performances.
This mindset was surprisingly demotivating for me as someone who used to care a lot about my grades. When everyone around you seems passive, pessimistic and uninterested, it can become easy to convince yourself that you do not need to work that hard and improve.
The reverse is also true. Being around people who encourage you to try new things, take appropriate breaks, meet new people and carry an overall optimistic perspective can make university feel vastly different. The people around you influence your self-image, resilience, and what you are capable of.
That is not to say you have to cut someone off just because they complain. Sometimes, discussing shared struggles in courses is half the fun, and it helps you get through it. The important part is paying attention to the atmosphere you surround yourself with.
Every once in a while, stop and ask yourself how you feel after spending time with the people around you. Do they leave you feeling motivated or more discouraged than you did before?
If it’s the latter, then you should give yourself time to find people you genuinely enjoy being around, even if it means you have to spend some time alone. There is nothing wrong with taking time to find your people or enjoy your own company.
You will meet new people, change as a person, and find yourself in situations you could not have predicted. You are allowed to figure things out as you go—there is no obligation to get everything right the first time!
Take the chance to walk the road less travelled with a UTM club!
By April Roy
Stepping onto campus in the first weeks of university and seeing the abundance of clubs and organizations UTM offers can be overwhelming for new students. In my first year at UTM, I also found myself torn between all the possible options.
Initially, I gravitated towards clubs that were in my comfort zone. However, one of the great opportunities of university is the choice to take the road less travelled and explore uncharted areas of interest.
With this in mind, I began to attend events held by SAGE, one of UTM’s environmental clubs. I have always been passionate about the environment, and an environmental science course I was taking at the time further stoked my interest in SAGE. Although I did not end up staying in this club in second year, many club members made me feel welcome and excited to study at UTM.
During the winter term of my first year, I stumbled across a flyer on a campus bulletin board encouraging students to submit pieces to The Medium. The decision to contribute to the student newspaper positively shaped my university experience. It allowed me to express myself and discuss issues I care about through articles and illustrations.
Involvement in student organizations and clubs is a great way to expand your social and professional network, develop skills, and discover new interests. However, it is also rarely discussed how to balance these commitments with coursework.
While many of these clubs hold special places in my heart, I had to let go of some to avoid overloading myself. Regardless of the time you spend in these clubs, they can serve as building blocks for your character and portfolio, and have a lasting impact on your undergraduate journey.
*AI-Generated Audio Transcription Disclaimer
The audio transcription included in this article was generated using artificial intelligence (AI) technology with the purpose of improving accessibility for our readers and providing an alternative opportunity to engage with The Medium‘s content. Please note that AI-generated transcriptions may contain errors or inaccuracies in pronunciation, wording, or interpretation.
The original written article remains the authoritative version of the content. If you notice an error in the audio transcription, please contact social@themedium.ca so we can for further reviews and corrections.
