Introduction
Starting anything new can be a little nerve-wracking and the decision to start your studies at UVic is a big one. We know that lots of things in your life may be changing and you may be put in a variety of new situations. The more you can prepare, the better. – From the course home page
Regardless of where a student is coming from, coming to UVic is a new experience, and we wanted to ensure students understood what that transition might look like, had some strategies to effectively navigate it, and were as prepared as possible.
This topic contains four activities:
What changes might I experience?
What can I expect over my first year?
Am I ready to take on different responsibilities?
Think Forward | Building my community
By completing these activities, we hope that students will:
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- Recognize that the transition to university may be challenging
- Anticipate typical first year experiences
- Identify possible gaps in the skills required to live independently
- Be prepared to access resources and assistance when needed
- Develop strategies to maintain connections with their home community while building a new community at UVic
What changes might I experience?
In this activity, which serves as the introduction for this topic, we introduce students to some of the major changes they may experience in coming to UVic, including changes to relationships, classroom expectations, increased responsibility, culture and climate, daily schedule and greater independence.
We want students to be aware of what to expect, to remember that they have a wealth of skills, knowledge and experience they can draw on as they navigate this transition, and to know that they are not making this transition alone.
Learning outcomes: Students who complete this activity will being to:
- Recognize that the transition to university may be challenging
- Anticipate typical first year experiences
- Be prepared to access resources and assistance when needed
>> View the full What changes might I experience? activity
What changes might I experience?
This activity also contains a video where we did on-the-street interviews with current students to ask them about their transition to UVic. They shared their experiences, their challenges, what helped and what didn’t, and the resources they accessed on campus. The Your Transition to University video is 2 minutes and 30 seconds long.
What can I expect over my first year?
The What can I expect over my first year activity introduces students to the student life cycle, highlighting some major events and feelings that students may have during their first year at UVic. These include making new friends, their first exam period, roommate conflict, homesickness, thinking about a program change, and more. This activity also encourages students to think about the emotions they may encounter during their transition, and to identify various emotional regulation (aka coping) strategies they may wish to adopt.
Learning outcomes: Students who complete this activity will being to:
- Recognize that the transition to university may be challenging
- Anticipate typical first year experiences
- Be prepared to access resources and assistance when needed
>> View the full What can I expect over my first year? activity
What can I expect over my first year?
Am I ready to take on different responsibilities?
While this may not be a universal experience, for many students, university is the first time they’ve been asked to take on many different responsibilities that we often associate with “being an adult,” such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, finances, appointments, and more. In this activity, students play the popular game show Jeopardy, and are quizzed on their knowledge relating to their new responsibilities. The activity is not intended to be a test, but rather a self-assessment. At the end of the game, students are asked to identify areas where they think more learning might be required, and to identify steps they can take to gain that knowledge and practice those skills.
Learning outcomes: Students who complete this activity will being to:
- Identify possible gaps in the skills required to live independently
Complete the Jeopardy-style Am I ready to take on different responsibilities? activity. The activity will open in a new window. This activity works best on a laptop, desktop or tablet.
Think Forward | Building my community
In this activity, we explore how students can build a new community on campus while simultaneously maintaining connections to their existing community. Strategies that upper-year students have used to build and maintain community are shared via a series of mock Instagram posts that students can scroll through. Students are also asked to complete a poll in which they select three strategies for building and maintaining community that they would like to implement when they start at UVic. After students select their three strategies, they are able to view the responses of others.
Learning outcomes: Students who complete this activity will being to:
- Develop strategies to maintain connections with their home community while building a new community at UVic
>> View the full Think Forward | Building my community activity
Think Forward | Building my community