by Umey Aimen

Joining a university can be a life-changing experience as long as you make it one. To ensure your experience falls within the former part, you have to take into account many factors - this begins not when you set foot on the campus, but much, much before.

1. Start finding a home/university before you begin applying!

Ensuring that you feel at home in a university environment means being certain for the reasons why you want to go. Do not simply choose to go because the university is well-ranked, and has a good reputation. You should align the university's spirit with your preferences. Is the university very academically oriented - or does it give space and time for students to explore different interests? Does the university have a strong spiritual arch to it (Notre Dame, Trinity University), or does it not? Is the demographic make-up of the university taking into account my own ethnic and cultural background - will I be able to find a community there? These are all questions you must ask before you begin applying.

Finding answers to these questions is a simple process: research. There are many portals for you to go through to get a good idea of the spirit of a university. This includes the Fiske Guide, USNews, Niche, and of course, our very own, College Custom Planner.

2. When you have solidified your university choice, and are now settling down on campus:

It can be daunting to make a home out of an entirely new setting. The comforts you were used to are gone - food cooked for you, clothes washed and hung up, family always around. Now, you are on your own.

Here are some useful tips to find your space and a sense of belonging:

i) Find your community:

Though finding and becoming one with a community is a process, you can begin searching starting with your interests. Does the campus have a society or community based on your favorite sport? Are you exploring new activities to get involved in, such as the Outdoors Club? You can search for a community also based on your identity and background - such as the South Asian Society or feminist societies, poetry and/or book reading clubs. There are many places that would happily welcome you with open arms into their community.

ii) Give yourself time:

Many students feel that things are not happening soon enough. Often, students will not have found a strong group of friends or community in the first few weeks/months, and they find themselves giving up. What is worse is that you have to keep up with the academic demands of the university. So you not only feel alone, but also stressed because of work.

The answer to this is simple but difficult: be patient. Things happen at different speeds for different people. Some people will find their friends and community quickly, and others will take more time. Some people will hit the ground running with their academics, whilst others will take time to adapt. What you must never lose sight of, is that even if settling in and academically adapting is taking time, you will eventually and inevitably find your community and academically excel - all in good time. If you feel this is not happening at a pace you need it to, the university always has resources available to help you. This includes the academic assistance wing, as well as mental well-being counselors.

iii) Cultivate a relationship with yourself:

While many students rightfully seek ways to make relationships with others, it is worth remembering that the most important relationship that you need to cultivate is with yourself. Being at university offers a unique opportunity and space to give time to you - to better understand yourself, who you are, and what your early direction in life is. At this stage in life, before you become busy with work and other adult responsibilities, you have space and time to search inwardly, to introspect, and to nurture a deeper connection with yourself.

Last, but certainly not the least, university should not just be a space for learning new and diverse ideas, it should also be a place where we unlearn our traditional and dogmatic beliefs systems. We have to consciously decide to practice empathy and encourage solidarity amongst ourselves and the broader community.

- Hale Education Group