Canadian Blog

October 2024

Gabriella King

Regional Student Ambassador for Canada

I don’t know about you, but I am completely overwhelmed in my school life right now.

From 30-page assignments, to 300 page readings per week, to midterms that I forget about until the day before it all seems like it will never end and I just can’t wait to graduate. It’s getting harder to have a work-life balance, because while I’m here to study, I also want to experience all that University life has to offer. If you’re feeling anything like me, you know how tiring and lonesome it can be.

A lot of times, when we have discussions about how overwhelming studying is, we’re typically met with the “you’re a student, it’s supposed to be hard”, but what we fail to realise is that studying is not a hard thing you can do alone. Getting you to the graduation stage is not something you do with the support of your friends, classmates and family, so leaning on the people around you and being there for them is essential to getting through these years. Especially because we’re international students, far away from our families and our island, it is important to look for avenues for emotional unloading.

So join a club to make new friends, go to a library to get out of the house, take yourself on a fun adventure by stepping out of your comfort zone and trying something new. If it gets too much, reach out to your family and friends or even attend a counselling session or utilise your university’s academic resources. It’s important to surround yourself with things that bring you joy and ease the stress that university unfortunately brings. Just always remember that you are not alone, and you will get through this