Oh man, it’s October already? Time really does fly in university…
My first month in university was incredible. Without a doubt, it was one of the best months of my life. You guys are probably wondering right now: “Bo, what made your month so special?” My response would be: “Everything.”
Academics
First thing’s first, we go to university to learn and indulge in the world of academics. I’m studying Software Engineering, one of the most competitive and rigorous programs in Canada. I am taking six courses: linear algebra, calculus, linear circuits, physics, computer science and a Software Engineering course. This approximates to about 30 hours of class each week. I’ve attached my schedule below, and you can see that from Monday-Thursday I have class from 8:30AM-6:00PM. On Friday, it’s only 8:30AM-1:30PM. The blue represent my lectures, tutorials, labs and seminars. The purple represent due dates, office hours, and other miscellaneous events.
Hey there everyone! It’s been quite a hectic first two weeks at Waterloo. When I say hectic, I mean THE BEST TIME EVER!!! Although my schedule is packed, I’m going to try my best to write weekly posts.
Here’s a recap of my first week:
Monday was the first day of class of my university career. I woke up quite late, so I barely made it to class on time. It sort of felt like the first day of high school when I was looking for an open seat. Except this time, I actually knew tons of people in my program beforehand. The professor “Mario” wasted no time in starting the MATH 115 (Linear Algebra for Engineers) lecture. It was really difficult to take notes and maintain focus at the back, so a couple of us went directly to the front and sat down on the ground. Next thing you know, the 50 minute lecture was over. We had an hour break until our next class, so we went to the SLC and chatted with our classmates. My classmates are pretty awesome people and I know I’m going to have a blast with them over the next five years. We’ll have our glorious moments together and also have those times of struggles. However, the one thing I dislike most about my classmates is the fact that we’re all super keeners who line up at the door 20 minutes before the class starts. Don’t expect a good seat if you arrive 10 minutes early.
There’s some things in this world you just can’t control. One of them is rain.
Over the past week, it has rained numerous times in Waterloo. As a result, many orientation events were modified or cancelled. This obviously sucked for all of the enthusiastic froshies like me.
HOWEVER…. orientation week was still a blast! Everyone kept a positive attitude and looked past the miserable weather. What made the week so fun was the awesome people I met. These people are going to be my future best friends, classmates, co-workers, significant others, or perhaps even future boss!
Today is day 6 of my Waterloo experience! Here’s a recap of my journey so far.
Day 1: I moved in to Village One on Sunday. The official move in day for my building was on Monday, so it was just me and another guy for the whole day. Moving in and saying goodbye to my parents was quite bittersweet. I’m going to miss living with them, but I’m also going to enjoy every single moment of this new lifestyle.
I participated in the scheduled orientation activities: Warrior Welcome and Playfair. Warrior Welcome was decent. It was basically a pep rally event trying to create Waterloo spirit. Playfair was surprisingly really fun. There were about two thousand first year students doing fun activities on the V1 Green. Some activities were really awkward, but that’s what makes it so fun.