Tomorrow is my first day of school in three years. I only have three hours of class to attend, though. The weekly total will be 21 hours. It feels sort of different this time around. For starters, there’s no upheaval or physical move to another city, to mark the beginning of a new academic year. I went to university in London, Ontario, about a three hour drive from my parents’ home in Oshawa. This time I’m just going to get up in the morning and drive the fifteen minutes or so over to the college where my classes are held.
Another big difference is simply the physical size of the institution I’m attending. UWO is the third largest public university in Canada. The Warden Woods campus of Centennial College feels like a big high school. There will be no walking between buildings for the next class. I’ve got a locker rented, too, which is very high school-ish. I imagine that by the time we change over to Ryerson University downtown in third year, there will be a bit of a culture shock for those students who came straight out of high school.
My home isn’t a temporary student apartment…I’ve been living here over a year now, and hope to stay through to the end of this degree. I will still be working part-time, but this time I’m in a kick-ass city and will have a much more balanced lifestyle. I’m here because I’ve made a conscious decision to return to university, rather than just doing what is expected of me. In fact, this is very far from what some members of my family expect of me, but I know what is important to me and where I am headed. I feel good about my decision. I know there will be days I wish I hadn’t jumped back into this, but in the long run I am going to be much happier and focused. Life is good.
