My story
Coming to Bishop’s has been a life-changing experience. It has been challenging, as I’m sure it is for most students, but so rewarding.
For me, it started in Edmonton, when I received my acceptance to Bishop’s University. It was like a new reality suddenly set in. All my life, I’ve been in the same city, same house, and I’ve never had to think about moving out. Honestly, I didn’t plan on moving out, but life has plans of its own. Suddenly, I had to figure out my major, living arrangements, and some kind of part-time job. So, here’s some advice for you, if like me, you’re coming to study at Bishop’s University from out of province.
1: Getting here
If you’re moving out of province, I strongly suggest you plan out every step. One important aspect to figure out is how to get here. I decided to drive. I had to plan my route around gas stations, food, and hotels along the way. You’ll need to assess which method of transportation fits your needs best.
2. Living here
Accommodation is where I procrastinated the most. Can you imagine arriving in a new province and having no idea where you’re going to live? Luckily, I had friends who had arrived in Sherbrooke a couple of days before me and invited me to stay with them temporarily. But it took me two months to find an apartment and, if it wasn’t for them, I would have spent thousands on hotels. So, figure out your living situation as soon as possible because you might not get as lucky as I was.
3. Navigating campus
On my first visit to campus, I was lost. Be prepared with an online map or be prepared to ask questions to peers. Personally, I found the experience of asking peers to be much more informative and fun instead of looking for locations on a map.
4: Determining courses and classes
Once I arrived at Bishop’s I had to figure out my course load, but I’ve never been taught how to be prepared in advance and what classes I should be taking for my degree. Don’t worry, many fellow students are in the same boat as you. So, book a meeting with your academic adviser and DO NOT MISS THIS MEETING! The right course load is key to a great start to your first semester but there are only a handful of academic advisors, so you need to book a meeting at least one month before the beginning of your first term. If you do miss your meeting, there is a good chance that you won’t be able to book another until after the add/drop deadline. The consequence of not dropping a class before this deadline is that you’ll need to pay for the class. I can tell you, that I wasn’t on top of my meetings with my academic advisor, and that affected me later in the semester.
Click here to learn more about Academic Advising at Bishop’s.
5: Finding Helpful Resources
I didn’t realize the impact moving here would have on my mental health, aside from the academic challenges I would face. Specifically, I didn’t expect that being away from family would be so hard… but Bishop’s offers lots of resources to support students, especially Student Services, which has really helped me through my first semester. Times will get hard, times will get lonely and, in those instances, it’s most important to reach out! I can tell you for a fact that, if it weren’t for Student Services, I wouldn’t be here anymore. They have helped me find all the resources I need with their one-on-one counselling sessions.
At the end of the day, adjusting to university has been one of the most challenging experiences I’ve been through, and I believe every student adjusting to university will have challenges, as well. You should know that there are lots of support services here to help you through anything you might be struggling with.
