Dear Professors

Dear Professors,

Did you forget? Did you forget what it's like to be a student? It seems like you did. You treat us like you've never been a student trying to keep it all together. Did you have a professor that treated you like you're treating us? Is that why you act like you do? Now that you have the power, you can do whatever you want. You can post multiple weeks of content in one day, leave us with extra course work to do while trying to study for exams. You can refuse to give us a review before the exam, or even provide us with a list of concepts that could be on the final. You have the power and we just have to go with what you say and do.

But how does it affect you? By New Years you'll have forgotten about us and moved on to another class. You will have submitted your marks without a second thought about what students went through to get those marks. You'll move on. But us, we'll still be hoping that all that cramming is paying off and that all those tears, sleepless nights, and breakdowns got us the mark we worked for. We're the ones that are working for marks for scholarships and to stay in programs. How does it affect you to give us a review, or not overload us with work last minute? The worst thing that could happen if you give us a review is that we do well on the final. Do you not want that? Do you not wish your students will succeed?

Is it fair the way you treat us? No. Do we have to put up with it and actually pay to be treated like this? Yes. Why? Because you hold all the power. Some of you say that students have to be put under immense pressure to weed out the ones that shouldn't be in university or to prepare us for the future. I agree students should be put under pressure but is it really necessary to break us? Some of you will say that you went through the same thing when you were in school. Does that make it right? Just because something happened one way in the past doesn't mean it has to happen that way forever. Just because something happened to you, doesn't mean you have to do it to others when you're in the position.

I know that this stress and work will pass and I will complete everything to the best of my ability. I know I will get that degree eventually and all this stress and frustration will be worth it. I know you probably have stresses in your life too. You probably have deadlines and responsibilities outside of being my professor. I understand, I really do. What I don't understand is how someone can be in your position and look at us with such little understanding. You of anyone should understand what it's like to be a student trying so hard.

Now, I am not saying give us students an easy time. We need to be pushed that little bit to be our best and university should be a stressful. All I am asking is that you don't go out of your way to make our lives harder. All I am asking is that you try to remember what it was like to be a student. I am asking  for you to treat us fairly and with respect. Answer our emails, don't talk down to us, teach us, be organized, and don't let your mistakes penalize us. If you are behind in posting or giving content, be honest and accept that. Don't make us do more work in a short period of time because you messed up the schedule. Please just remember we are people too and we have lives that are affected by your decisions.

Sincerely,
A student who is trying their best.

P.s. This isn't for all professors. A majority of professors love what they do and care about their students well-being and success. Those professors make us want to continue and shows us that it is possible to be a professor who cares. To those professors, thank you. You have made a positive impact us. I promise we appreciate you more than you know.

Your People

People teach you many things as you grow up and you get a lot of advice when leaving home. I think the most important advice I could ever give someone starting somewhere new is to find your people. As I move into my final years of university I get asked more and more about my advice for incoming students and people considering what to do after high school. It is crazy to think that I am now considered someone who would have valuable advice. So here is my advice for anyone starting something new like high school, college, a new job or even moving to a new city...

Find your people. Know who your people are. I promise you, you will need them. No matter where you are, what you're doing or what point you are at in your life... you should never doing any of it on your own. You need to surround yourself with people. 

Especially in something like university, it's the people who will get you through it.The ones close and far, they get you through. When I walk across that stage, there is no way I would be there without a handful of amazing people. I can promise you years down the road I will forget many things about my time at Lakehead, but I won't ever forget the people who helped me and made my time special. 

The reason I think this advice is so important to people starting something like university is because I can guarantee you there will be a point where you need your people. There will be that day when you know you should have stayed in bed. The day where nothing can go right and you're mad at the world. The day when you are sitting alone in a car crying out of frustration and anger. The day will come when you consider quitting, throwing everything away and running. That day will come and it will SUCK. I feel like this is the part people don't tend to tell those starting out. People talk about college and university as an incredible life changing time. And yes, it is, but it also sucks sometimes and is really hard. Juggling everything can push you further than you thought you could go. You will have bad days, like REALLY bad days. Those are the days that you will realize just how much you need your people. 

On those days it can be as simple as a perfectly timed card in the mail from a friend or a funny video from your ride or die. It could be the person you call and just swear like a sailor to.It could be the person who just looks at you and knows you need a hug. It could be your mom who you call a million different times, cry to and get the Bible reminders you need. It could be your roommate that just has a drink with you while making dinner. It could be the person who sends you funny pictures to make you smile. THOSE PEOPLE, YOUR PEOPLE are the ones that make getting out of bed every morning worth it. 

So to all my people, you know who you are, thank you so much. I don't know where I would be without you. You make bad days bearable and good days amazing! You all will never know how much you mean to me.  I will never be able to thank you enough for all you do and for making me who I am. 

I'll end this post on the theme song lyrics from a show I watch a lot while in university. 

I can't do this all on my own, no I know, I'm no superman.

Pros and Cons of Being a Student

This December I officially finished half of my university career. I finished 5 semesters and have 5 to go. This seems absolutely unbelievable to me. It feels like I just started and was incredibly nervous and excited. It seems like just yesterday I met one of my best friends and now we've been basically inseparable for over 2 years. I can still remember hugging my parents goodbye and sitting in the big lecture hall for the first time. Being a student comes with several benefits and drawbacks. Some of the cons to being a student are pretty obvious. 

• You are away from home
• You have SO MUCH homework
• When you go home from a full day of classes you still have work to do
• Some professors don't care 
• You have to balance social lives, school work and other obligations
• The pressure put on students is crazy
• Student debt. Money. Expenses.
• When you aren't in school, like in the summer, you have to work hard to pay for the next year
• You have to live with roommate and be responsible
• TUITION PRICES ARE TOO DARN HIGH
• Your mom is no where near you when you're sick

That last point is one that I think sucks the most. Who wants to be sick and have to cook for yourself. There are many other drawbacks but the positives will always outweigh the cons in my opinion. 

• You are completely responsible for yourself (it's both a pro and con)
• You can watch so much Netflix
• You meet new people (hopefully some wonderful ones)
• You get to be independent and live anyway you'd like
• Weekends and some week nights can be super fun!
• There are so many new experiences
• Universities often have really sweet events (HELLO SNOW TUBING)
• Some professors really care
• You are given the opportunity to learn

To me the best parts of university are the people you meet and the opportunities you have to learn. University is a place of education, whether formal or informal. You have the opportunity to learn anything you want. If you don't like the major you began with, switch. You are required to take a variety of electives, you may find a new passion or interest. Schools often have extra workshops to teach you different things. Most universities come with a gym membership and with those memberships you could take any classes to learn new skills. Schools often have many clubs that you could gain knowledge from. The education you gain from university will be much more than just what you get your degree in.The people you meet can be the ones you learn the most from. I think the most beneficial thing I've learned while in university are the opportunities that are out there. I have learned so much from Professors about the opportunities out there. Professors will often tell you about their past experiences and what opportunities you can have. I have learned about jobs and travel opportunities that I had never heard of before. In high school, you are rarely told about all the careers that are possible. We are often told about the basic, common professions. Professors have most likely had a handful or career experiences that you've never heard of. 

I personally have learned so many things since I started university that I know I will never forget. Since starting university I have learned about psychology, media, philosophy, education techniques and many other formal subjects. But I have also learned how to play pickle ball, knitting, cooking, laundry, yoga, drinking games, video editing, rollerblading, and so much more. This year I'm also hoping to learn to snowboard, embroidery, and a new language. 

Nelson Mandela once said "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." So many people are afraid of admitting they don't know something that they miss the opportunity to learn something new. It is amazing to think that our brains are capable of learning basically anything. If you want to cure a disease, you do research and gain knowledge about it. If you want to stop global warming, you research patterns and history. If you want to get healthy, you learn new exercises and health information. If you want to learn a new language, you can take a class or lesson. Anything in the world that you want to change, you must first get a solid education about it. Remember it is never too late to learn something new. I've taken several classes about the capabilities of the brain and it is unbelievable what it can do. It is never too late to learn a new skill or subject. The first step is to want to learn, the second is to ask questions and than repeat the steps until you've learned something new.