A Semester of Realizations

With the semester winding to a close, I'm reaching the exact midpoint of my degree. That realization, along with Alex's review of his semester, has left me feeling very introspective. Like Alex, my semester has been full of highs and lows. I can hardly fathom that this year is almost over, as it feels like just yesterday I was moving into my first year dorm room.

The winter blahs hit me hard this year, and I seemed to have lost the stride of productivity and motivation I had reached last semester. Where I had been on top of all of my readings and assignments last semester, I was struggling to manage even the smallest assignments for my classes. After about a month of this, I came to the realization that I couldn't keep doing this on my own, and that my winter blahs were maybe more than just winter blahs. This realization led me to another, that asking for help is one of the best things you can do for yourself. With help from Health and Wellness as well as Accessibility Services, I was able to get back on track, and more importantly start feeling better. I also learned not to be afraid to ask my professors for help, and found them to be more accommodating and supportive than I ever imagined.

This semester may not have gone exactly as I had planned, but I'm not going to write it off. Thought I may have had a number of lows this semester, I had some great highs as well. Dropping one of my courses made me realize that that major just wasn't for me, and now that I'm in two majors that I really care about I feel so much more excited about next school year. Working for Life@UofT has given me the opportunity to keep exploring, and falling in love with, new parts of the city. I've been able to put more time into the extracurriculars that I love, like making yummy lattes and great friends at Caffiends, and becoming Editor-in-Chief of my college newspaper, The Gargoyle. But most importantly, this semester taught me just how important it is to put my wellbeing first. I hope that all of your semesters are going well, and if you're feeling overwhelmed, please don't be afraid to ask for help.