Welcome to Acadia University. Whether you’re here for the first time, or have been here for way too long, I think I speak for most students when I say it’s pretty awesome being back. I’ll be this year’s opinions editor, which basically means I’d like you to send me all the rants that keep you up at night, or debating for hours on end (note: this is me making fun of our former Editor-in-Chief; he knows who he is and I hope he is reading this).
Instead of sullying my name outright at the beginning of the semester, I’ll save the hard-hitting stuff for later on. However, I figure I’ll throw out some common-sense stuff every student should do when getting back to school.
- Call your damn parents. Seriously, you’re lucky to be here. They’re pumped that you’re here and they’ll be happy to know you’ve settled in. And let’s be honest, most of us will be in need of something after a few weeks anyway…
- Get organized right away. This is sick because it’s not like you have anything else to do besides buying books that actually prepares you for school.
- Food: go nuts, student loans only last so long. Trust me, it doesn’t matter how much money you think you have, it always runs out.
- Download Grammarly. Seriously, anyone who does academic writing needs this (ie, all my BA students/future barista brothers and sisters). It’s not flawless, but it’s a decent last line of defense before you hand in an assignment.
- Record all your due dates somewhere you’ll see them all the time. Any Mac users out there can put reminders in your calendar and have them sent to your phone. If you’re old fashioned, you can always use an Android…
- Frosh, get out of your room, keep your door open and go to rez events. I still live with the guys who were my best buds in Chip.
- Don’t be stupid, stupid. We all drink from time to time, but a $450 fine from the RCMP is no fun, and neither is the additional $450 you’ll get if you’re caught drinking underage. If you’re going to a party, go with someone who’s taking a bookbag.
- Get involved in anything. Write for The Ath, join Axe Radio, attend Model United Nations, stay up ludicrously late to play intramural sports. Hell, go to the party your rez or buds are throwing. School hits pretty hard near the end of September so enjoy your time while you can.
Well, there you go. A totally generic opinion piece on how not to be stupid when you get back to school. But seriously, write for the Athenaeum, If you have an opinion and want it heard, hit me up at [email protected].
Kyle Thompson-Clement is a 5th year Politics student and Opinions Editor of The Athenaeum
