{"id":49911,"date":"2024-10-21T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-21T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/?p=49911"},"modified":"2024-10-21T10:35:46","modified_gmt":"2024-10-21T14:35:46","slug":"first-year-vs-fourth-year-a-reflection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2024\/10\/21\/first-year-vs-fourth-year-a-reflection\/","title":{"rendered":"First Year vs. Fourth Year: A Reflection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Looking back at my time at Rotman Commerce, it\u2019s wild how much has changed from first year to now. I came in as a fresh, wide-eyed student, not really knowing what I was doing, and now, in fourth year, things finally make sense\u2014or at least they make more<\/em> sense. University has been a mix of tough lessons, figuring out what I care about, and realizing what actually matters along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rotman<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

First Year: All Over the Place
<\/strong>First year was a bit of a mess, to be honest. I was excited to be in university, but I had no clue what to expect. There were so many things happening\u2014new friends, trying out clubs, exploring the city\u2014but balancing everything with assignments and exams hit me harder than I thought. I spent a lot of time winging it, hoping things would fall into place. Spoiler: they didn\u2019t\u2014at least not right away.

Time Management Is Hard
<\/em>I came in thinking I could just figure things out as I went, but that plan didn\u2019t work for long. With lectures, assignments, group projects, and exams all coming at me at the same time, I realized pretty quickly that I couldn\u2019t keep up if I wasn\u2019t organized. It took a lot of trial and error before I found a rhythm, but even now, time management is still something I have to stay on top of. If I didn\u2019t learn how to plan ahead in first year, things would\u2019ve fallen apart fast.

It\u2019s Okay to Ask for Help
<\/em>At first, I was hesitant to reach out for help because I thought I had to figure everything out on my own. But I learned pretty quickly that no one gets through university like that. Whether it was going to office hours, talking to upper-year students, or using online resources, asking for help made a huge difference. Once I got over that mental block, things started to feel more manageable.

Friendships Take Time
<\/em>Making friends in first year was exciting, but it wasn\u2019t as easy as I thought it would be to build meaningful connections. At the start, it felt like everyone was trying to figure things out for themselves, so friendships didn\u2019t always happen naturally right away. But over time\u2014through group projects, classes, and clubs\u2014I found people I could count on. Some of those friendships have carried me all the way through to fourth year, and I\u2019m glad I didn\u2019t rush the process.

Fourth Year: A Whole Different Game
<\/strong>Now, in fourth year, things feel a lot more under control. I\u2019ve figured out how to manage my workload and I\u2019ve gotten better at saying no to things that don\u2019t add value. I\u2019m more confident in where I want to go with my career and with my personal life. I still have a lot to learn, but I feel more equipped to handle whatever comes next.

I Know What I Care About
<\/em>After trying a bunch of courses and extracurriculars over the years, I\u2019ve finally narrowed down what I actually care about. I know that given these past four years as a Rotman Commerce student, consulting is the space I want to start in, but my bigger passion is social entrepreneurship. Having that clarity has helped me focus my energy on the things that will actually move me closer to my goals. It also means I\u2019ve stopped wasting time on things that don\u2019t align with where I\u2019m headed.

Networking Actually Works
<\/em>In first year, networking felt intimidating, and I wasn\u2019t sure if it even made a difference. But by fourth year, I\u2019ve realized how important those connections are. The people I\u2019ve met\u2014whether classmates, professors, or industry professionals\u2014have opened doors I wouldn\u2019t have imagined before. I\u2019ve learned that networking isn\u2019t just about handing out business cards; it\u2019s about building relationships that are meaningful and mutually beneficial.

I\u2019m Comfortable with Uncertainty
<\/em>One of the biggest changes between first year and now is how I handle uncertainty. Back then, not knowing what was coming next stressed me out. But over time, I\u2019ve learned that it\u2019s okay if things don\u2019t go according to plan. The key is knowing how to pivot and make the best out of unexpected situations. I\u2019ve stopped trying to have everything figured out all the time, and honestly, that\u2019s been freeing.

Final Thoughts
<\/strong>First year was all about figuring things out, and fourth year is about wrapping it all up and preparing for what\u2019s next. It hasn\u2019t been perfect, but every misstep along the way has been part of the process. If there\u2019s one thing I\u2019ve learned, it\u2019s that university isn\u2019t just about grades or internships\u2014it\u2019s about growth. And honestly? I think I\u2019ve grown a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Crystal <3<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\nLooking back at my time at Rotman Commerce, it\u2019s wild how much has changed from first year to now. I came in as a fresh, wide-eyed student, not really knowing what I was doing, and now, in fourth year, things…\n<\/div>
Continue reading “First Year vs. Fourth Year: A Reflection”<\/span>…<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>
Continue reading “First Year vs. Fourth Year: A Reflection”<\/span>…<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"author":466,"featured_media":49915,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[284,10986,286],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49911"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/466"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49911"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49911\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49944,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49911\/revisions\/49944"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}