Many of you will be living away from home for the first time, just like me. Some of you will be from a few hours away while some from the other end of the world. Moving out is a joy that most students embrace without realizing the depth of the transition they are about to face. It is looked at as a transition of freedom, liberty and no supervision or approval from your guardians in your everyday decisions. Just like how the change happens from the day you move into residence, implementation of proper coping strategies need to be matched to make it a pleasant transition. Before I go into various strategies to adopt, I’ll reflect on my personal transition into Queen’s University.

I moved from Toronto, provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. Living in a highly dense city, I wanted to enjoy the peace of mind and stronger bond within community that a small city like Kingston had to offer. Furthermore, living on campus in my first year allowed me to have a greater sense of the new community, opportunities for on-campus leadership, flexible meal options, and overall convenience that made my university transition a whole lot easier. Culture transition was made a whole lot easier by countless cultural clubs at Queen’s, many of my friends who took an active part in Queen’s culture satisfied their traditional culture by joining clubs such as Queen’s Hong Kong Student association etc. Furthermore, Queen’s hospitality services are very understanding in terms of individual’s dietary needs ensuring your pleasant experience on campus.

In order to ensure my success, I had to change some of my habits and take on more responsibilities as well as develop new abilities. Examples of a few that you and I will most probably face are as follows;

- Responsible for course selection, attendance, deadlines and course material.
- Financial budgeting and paying your bills for the first time.
- Doing your own laundry and cleaning your room.
- If you obtain a job, finding the balance between work and school.
- Setting your own goals and expectations.

Preparing myself mentally and practicing living in such an environment earlier was the key factor to my pleasant transition. Begin managing your whole day, doing your own laundry, cleaning your own room, grocery shopping, budgeting and prioritizing activities to hit the ground running at Queen’s.

- Jawwad Siddiqui, Comm’15