What can I expect over my first year?
This is a close replication of the content found in the ‘What can I expect over my first year?” activity within the Pre-Arrival Program. Because this activity is a drag-and-drop activity, we’ve done our best to convey the information and structure of the activity, even where it could not be replicated exacly.
Throughout a school year, you may experience a number of different events, challenges, achievements and emotions. When no month of the term is quite like any other, it can be difficult to know what to expect. Luckily, every term has a similar rhythm and flow. By understanding the typical student experience over the course of a term, you can begin to anticipate what is coming and plan and prepare.
In this activity, you’ll be matching a number of academic and social events and experiences to the month of the year in which our students say they typically experience them.
Please note: This activity is set up as a ‘quiz,’ but don’t worry, you aren’t being graded! After you submit your answers, you will have an opportunity to review your answers and feedback.
Part 1: The Student Life Cycle
We asked our students for typical academic and social events, and the approximate month when they occurred. In the questions below, drag* the events to the place on the timeline that you think our students experienced them. Click ‘save response’ to check your answers. Click ‘try again’ and the incorrect answers will be removed.
*The first four questions of this activity (in the program) require you to drag-and-drop answers. For students who are unable to drag-and-drop, we’ve linked them to a PDF containing the timelines.
Fall term academic events
Drag and drop options:
- First UVic class
- Midterms begin
- Program change is desired
- Exam period begins
First UVic class | September
Every new-to-UVic student will experience their first UVic class at the beginning of their first term (usually September or January). Figuring out how to navigate your new course schedule and adjusting to UVic life doesn’t happen immediately for most UVic students, but occurs slowly of a period of weeks.
Midterms begin | October
Many students say that ‘midterms’ is a bit of a misnomer. These tests often begin at the end of September and may continue to take place well into November. You may have more than one midterm in a single class and you may end up having weeks with multiple midterms and weeks with no midterms.
Program change is desired | November
By November, many students have begun to figure out whether or not they enjoy their program and courses. While some students will love what they are studying, others students will begin to re-evaluate what they have chosen to study at university. Program or major switches may begin to happen at this point and academic advisors are available to help you figure out where to go next.
Exam period begins | December
Many courses end with a 3-hour exam held during the exam period. Many students find exams to be a stressful time, as there is an expectation to prove you’ve learned a lot of course material in a short amount of time. Keeping on top of your work and learning throughout the term can make exam time much easier.
Spring term academic events
Drag and drop options:
- A fresh start
- Midterms begin
- Experience time management issues
- Exam period begins
A fresh start | January
Many students consider the beginning of a new term to be a fresh start. If there are things you wish you had done or achieved in the previous term, you may move those aspirations to this term and try again. The mindset of a fresh start is great, but be sure to keep your expectations realistic!
Midterms begin | February
Everything we said about midterms in your first term still applies here, but now that you’ve experienced midterms once already, you likely have a better idea of what to expect. Keep the strategies that worked well for you first term and get rid of the ones that didn’t! If your first term didn’t go as well as you had hoped, you may feel increased pressure to succeed this term.
Experience time management issues | March
Students can struggle with time management at any point in the term (and it happens in the first term too!), but many students say it increasingly becomes an issue about halfway through a term. This is a time when students often have multiple midterms and assignments happening seemingly all at once and once you begin to fall behind, it can be hard to catch up.
Exam period begins | April
Second term exams look a lot like first term exams, except for their content, of course. You likely have a better idea of what to expect and how to prepare now that you’ve already been through it once, but depending on how you did in first term, you may also feel increased pressure to succeed.
Fall term non-academic events
Drag and drop options:
- Make new friends
- Begin to figure out routines
- Roommate/neighbour conflict
- First time returning home
Make new friends | September
The beginning of any new term, and especially your first term, is often a time when you will meet a lot of new people. You might have new roommates or neighbours, new classmates and be meeting new people through any involvement opportunities you’ve joined. Take the time to get to know the people you’re meeting and they may turn into your new best friends!
Begin to figure out routines | October
Many students say that by the time October hits, they have begun to figure out the routine of university life. They’ve figured out how long it takes to move from building to building, a favourite place to study on campus and have begun to figure out the best way to spend their free time in order to complete everything they need to do.
Roommate/neighbour conflict | November
Roommate or neighbour conflicts can occur at any time, but many students say they occur more commonly in November. Students may be experiencing higher levels of stress in November which means emotions may flare up more easily or they may become fed up with habits and behaviours that they were able to overlook earlier in the semester. Do your best to resolve any conflicts as soon as possible!
First time returning home | December
Some students may go home for a visit during Canadian Thanksgiving, but others may not be able to go home until the longer break in December. Some students will love the opportunity to reconnect with their family and high school friends, some will feel like those relationships have changed and others may come back to campus and experience homesickness for the first time. For students who aren’t able to return home, watching their friends leave campus for the holiday may also be difficult.
Spring term non-academic events
Drag and drop options:
- Homesickness
- Winter blues
- Look for housing
- Solidify summer plans
Homesickness | January
Everyone experiences homesickness at different times, and it may hit you at any point during a term, but many students say they feel an increased sense of homesickness at the beginning of their second term. Many students will have spent several weeks at home over the break and now have to readjust to being on their own. Other students will have been unable to return home over the break and listening to other students talk about their families and holiday experiences may bring on a wave of homesickness.
Winter blues | February
Even in Victoria, where the winter is relatively mild and lacking in snow, the winter blues can still kick in, often beginning in mid-February. Students often find they begin feeling a lack of energy and enthusiasm at this time of year and burnout is a term you start to hear. Luckily, Reading Week takes place around this time as well, which can give you a short break from the workload.
Look for housing | March
March is the time when many students begin to make plans for where they are going to live for the next academic year. This process often involves deciding who you are going to live with, looking at possible houses and apartments and signing a lease.
Solidify summer plans | April
With summer just around the corner, April is the month to solidify your summer plans. Many students find themselves a summer job, some choose to travel and others may simply take some time off. While it’s a good idea to begin thinking about the summer prior to April, final decisions are often made this month.
Part 2: Managing Emotions
Events and experiences in your time at UVic will elicit emotions and these emotions can be either positive or negative. We asked current students about the emotions they experienced during their first year at UVic and they shared a wide range of emotions on both ends of the spectrum.
Students talked about emotions like excited, optimistic, confident, happy, focused, calm nervous, worried, stressed, doubtful, frustrated/angry, disappointed, lonely, etc.
Students also talked about a wide variety of strategies that they used to help manage their emotions. It can be useful to anticipate the range of emotions you might experience at UVic so that you know what to expect and what you might do (or not do) about these emotions. You might start by doing something about the emotion that you feel in the moment, but it might also be important to do something about the cause of the emotion.
In the next two questions, you will complete fill-in-the-blank sentences about the emotions you might feel at UVic. In the first blank, you will select a situation from a drop-down list. In the second blank, you will identify an emotion you might feel. In the third blank, you will decide what you might do about the emotion (increase/decrease/switch/maintain/do nothing). Finally, in the fourth blank, you will select a strategy for managing the emotion from a drop-down list.
For example: During exam period, I might feel stressed. I will try to decrease this feeling by looking for resources or asking for help.
There are no wrong answers here; this is simply a time to reflect and plan forward. Keep in mind that you might need to adjust your plan later.
Situations in the dropdown menu:
- On my first day at UVic
- During exam period
- When I go home for the first time
- If I consider a program change
- When I am making new friends at UVic
- If I’m having conflicts with the people I live with
- When I’m figuring out new routines
- If I’m having trouble managing my time
- After I get back from visiting home
Strategies in the dropdown menu:
- Talking to a friend or family member
- Looking for resources or asking for help
- Accepting it and carrying on
- Adjusting my expectations
- Making a plan or setting a goal
- Thinking about the situation in a different way
- Changing what I’m doing
- Increasing or decreasing my participation
- Thinking about something pleasant
- Getting some exercise or sleep
- Finding an activity to keep myself busy
- Treating myself to something special
- Concentrating on upcoming positive events
- Doing nothing
- Doing something else not on this list