Media & Press

A semester full of changes…

1 June, 2014

Taylor Erick

Quite amazingly, my second semester at the University of Alberta has flown by even quicker than my first. I am still adjusting to living in a city as large as Edmonton, and am in the process of mastering its transit system. Although I miss the small town atmosphere and my friends and family, I am loving my new home.

At school, my course load was quite heavy. With three labs and some of the hardest first year courses, I found myself pretty busy. However, I feel as if experiencing a stressful semester is all just a part of the university experience. With some time management, and many study breaks, I was able to work through these courses and maintain a GPA that I am proud of.

Outside of school, I began volunteering weekly at Edmonton’s Telus World of Science. It has been an amazing experience, one that has allowed me to share my passion for science with the public. In this position, I have been able to do everything from shooting off bottle rockets to dusting for fingerprints. It is so fun that I often forget I am technically working.

Along with my courses and extra-curriculars, this semester held big changes for me. Everyone told me that your first year is a time to adjust and figure out exactly what you want to study and do. However, I had been set on studying biology since before Junior High, and so I didn’t pay much attention to this advice. Unfortunately, it would have been wise of me to listen, because half way through the semester I experienced what I jokingly coined a “quarter-life crisis”. University-level biology was not what I expected, and although it is extremely interesting, it is not something that I could see myself focusing my studies around. So, I began looking through the Faculty of Science’s many majors and psychology captured my attention. The idea of being able to spend my studies learning about how people think, and especially why they think this way captivated me. So, after a few weeks of careful deliberation, I changed my major to psychology, and have now made t he decision to apply for the honours program next year.

My first year as a student, and Schulich Leader at the University of Alberta has been full of changes and opportunities. I am excited to see what my future years here will hold!