Dear First-Year Aurorita
Written by: Aurorita Mahbub, 4th year MIT
Dear Aurorita,
You’re feeling a lot of things right now. Excited, nervous, hopeful and uncertain of what the next four years will hold. Western’s a huge place – are you going to find your way around it? Will you enjoy the program you took a leap of faith with? Will you find your people?
The idea of starting university always felt so distant and far away but the time is finally here. You’ve heard horror stories about living in residence but also heard about people finding their second family on their floor. You’ve heard about professors that are ruthless but also about professors who helped students find passion in their learning. And what’s all this talk about Spoke bagels? Are they any good?
What you need to remember is you made the decision to come to Western and you will do everything in your power to make the most of it. Four years later you will confidently say you found your passion, your people and above all your home in a very huge place like Western. Living on your own will seem like the scariest thing but you will soon become an expert at meal prepping. You will go through ups and downs with figuring out how to plan your degree, but Western will guide you throughout these next few years and help you find a route that will work best for you. Every single person you meet along the way, whether that is through your class, residence or around campus will come into your life for a reason and help you become a better version of yourself.
You will understand the fuss about Spoke bagels and end up spending all your flex dollars there.
Hindsight is 20/20. You will realize that the hurdles you faced along the way were there to help you grow as a person. The discussions you will have in class with your professors, peers and TAs will stay with you forever. The extracurricular activities you take part in will help you find and develop new interests! You will get lost – on your way to class and even within it – but that is all a part of the process. The next four years will fly right by so remember to enjoy every second of the ride no matter what the circumstances are. What was once just a huge place will become your home, I promise. Just be yourself and let the rest take its course. There’s power in patience!
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