Residence Life
by Yoyo Chan ([email protected]), Associate Editor of Westernundergrad
Being one of the youngest in my family, I have heard so many stories about university experiences that I thought I knew all about it. Although I took everything that my cousins said with a grain of salt, one thing stuck out to me more than others. “Your roommate, now your friend, will become your worst nightmare,” they always told me. I hoped that this wasn’t true because my roommate would be the only one I knew in this new environment. Besides this one concern, I couldn’t wait to be living away from home. Based on a friend’s recommendation and luck, I got Perth Hall as my residence. Although smaller in size compared to other residences like Saugeen, it was the perfect balance to the kind of after school life that I wanted to have. I can’t really say what Saugeen will be like, but with the amount of people living in it, and so many opportunities for social interactions, I’m sure weekends would be a lot rowdier. Then again, each residence has its own set of pros and cons.
Going into university without much expectations, I realized that everything my cousins told me were false. While their experiences seemed gloomy, I found myself interacting with the people living on my floor, as they were all very friendly. The thought of not getting along with others seemed so obscure now because just like me, everyone was in an open mindset to making new friends. There was this one night where the whole floor stayed up late to talk in the hallway. I remember going back into my room that night, and from the other side of the room, my roommate suddenly said, “This feels like a giant sleepover!” Besides all my outgoing floor-mates, there were also sophs and my resident advisor who made the transition from high school to university much easier. Other than giving me helpful tips to succeeding, they also made me feel part of a whole community. Instead of saying, “I’m going back to rez now,” I caught myself saying, “I’m going back home.” Before I knew it, my first set of midterms was right around the corner. Usually, I would come home from classes, eat dinner together with friends in the cafeteria downstairs and hang out in each other’s rooms. By exam time, everyone was locked up in their rooms studying studiously. All those closed doors made me feel more motivated to study as well and not slack off. The people I lived with soon became the people I went to for support, academics, or anything fun. They soon grew on me like a family. As for my main concern about my roommate, I didn’t have a single argument with her the entire year. Our friendship remained the same, if not better.
Spending a year in residence really changed my attitude about various things. For example, having the opportunity to meet so many new people definitely made me less shy. Being on my own for a year helped me become more independent, and taught me to appreciate family time and home cooked meals even more. One piece of advice that I could give you regarding roommates would be to respect each other, and talk out any problems that you may encounter. Go about everything with an open mind and you will be guaranteed a memorable first year in residence. Oh, and try not to lock yourself out of your room too many times. Keep your key with you at all times.
Being one of the youngest in my family, I have heard so many stories about university experiences that I thought I knew all about it. Although I took everything that my cousins said with a grain of salt, one thing stuck out to me more than others. “Your roommate, now your friend, will become your worst nightmare,” they always told me. I hoped that this wasn’t true because my roommate would be the only one I knew in this new environment. Besides this one concern, I couldn’t wait to be living away from home. Based on a friend’s recommendation and luck, I got Perth Hall as my residence. Although smaller in size compared to other residences like Saugeen, it was the perfect balance to the kind of after school life that I wanted to have. I can’t really say what Saugeen will be like, but with the amount of people living in it, and so many opportunities for social interactions, I’m sure weekends would be a lot rowdier. Then again, each residence has its own set of pros and cons.
Going into university without much expectations, I realized that everything my cousins told me were false. While their experiences seemed gloomy, I found myself interacting with the people living on my floor, as they were all very friendly. The thought of not getting along with others seemed so obscure now because just like me, everyone was in an open mindset to making new friends. There was this one night where the whole floor stayed up late to talk in the hallway. I remember going back into my room that night, and from the other side of the room, my roommate suddenly said, “This feels like a giant sleepover!” Besides all my outgoing floor-mates, there were also sophs and my resident advisor who made the transition from high school to university much easier. Other than giving me helpful tips to succeeding, they also made me feel part of a whole community. Instead of saying, “I’m going back to rez now,” I caught myself saying, “I’m going back home.” Before I knew it, my first set of midterms was right around the corner. Usually, I would come home from classes, eat dinner together with friends in the cafeteria downstairs and hang out in each other’s rooms. By exam time, everyone was locked up in their rooms studying studiously. All those closed doors made me feel more motivated to study as well and not slack off. The people I lived with soon became the people I went to for support, academics, or anything fun. They soon grew on me like a family. As for my main concern about my roommate, I didn’t have a single argument with her the entire year. Our friendship remained the same, if not better.
Spending a year in residence really changed my attitude about various things. For example, having the opportunity to meet so many new people definitely made me less shy. Being on my own for a year helped me become more independent, and taught me to appreciate family time and home cooked meals even more. One piece of advice that I could give you regarding roommates would be to respect each other, and talk out any problems that you may encounter. Go about everything with an open mind and you will be guaranteed a memorable first year in residence. Oh, and try not to lock yourself out of your room too many times. Keep your key with you at all times.