On your first day of university, it’s acceptable to be excited, arrive hours early for your first class, and smile uncontrollably. But here’s the most important thing you should keep in mind: know where you’re going.
The first class I went to was a third year chemistry class. I remember walking into IB 120. I was super excited! I sat down, opened my notebook, wrote my name and the date, and was ready to take notes. I saw the professor walk in and I still felt good. It was when she started speaking that I suddenly questioned why she was decoding obscure, ancient texts. I knew she was speaking English, but I couldn’t understand any of it.
Then I saw it: a group of girls in the row ahead of me pulled out their textbooks, revealing books about advanced microbiology and science.
I froze and slowly scanned the room to see what everyone else was doing. Unfortunately, I was the only one confused and looking for an exit. Luckily for me, I sat near the doors so I quickly stuffed everything into my bag and left before anyone could notice.
I brushed it off, told myself it was one accident, and that it could happen to anyone. I sprinted to the library to double-check the room number. I must have been blinded by the awesomeness (that’s a word, right?) of the university that I read the room number wrong. My chemistry class was in IB 110 instead of 120. Also, it was an hour later than I originally thought, meaning I could’ve slept-in for an extra hour.
I wish I could say that I overcame this incident. Sadly, I made the same mistake in my second year. It wasn’t chemistry this time, but first year environment. However, in my third year, I finally mastered the art of finding the right room and now I triple check just to be sure.
My advice – other than pay attention to where you’re going– is to be confident. No matter what happens, confidence makes you look less like a fool. Just enjoy yourself. If you can laugh about it later, then it’s a good story.
