Oh, UWI!

Just a girl

Part 1

Three weeks in

Three weeks into university, I think I can finally say that I am beginning to understand what people mean when they say, “University is a different experience.”

When I left Holy Faith Convent, Penal, and started this new chapter at The University of the West Indies, St Augustine, I had expectations. I expected new classes, new people, more independence and, of course, a lot more work. What I did not fully expect was just how much I would learn outside of the classroom.

So far, my first three weeks have been a mixture of excitement, adjustment, new experiences, and a few challenges along the way.

Life on the Halls

One of the biggest parts of my university experience so far has been living on the halls of residence. It has been a wonderful experience, especially because almost all the residents are regional or international students.

In just three weeks, I have already had the opportunity to meet people from different parts of the Caribbean. I have made new friends, heard different accents, learned about different cultures and realised that university really does bring together people from all walks of life.

Of course, living on hall is not always easy. Being away from home and adjusting to a completely different environment comes with its own challenges.

The hardest part for me, however, has actually been something that may seem quite ordinary to someone else: living and going to school around boys.

Coming out of my shell

I attended an all-girls primary school and an all-girls secondary school, so my interactions with boys throughout my life have been relatively limited, apart from the young men I encountered through church and other activities.

Suddenly, I am in an environment where men and women are learning, socialising and living within the same university community.

Let me just say, it has been an eye-opening experience. Some of the conversations I have heard and situations I have witnessed have made me realise just how sheltered I was growing up. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but it has made me aware that university exposes you to people with very different values, beliefs, and lifestyles.

I have also realised how easy it can be for people to conform to the ideals and lifestyles of the world around them. When you are suddenly given more freedom and fewer people checking what you are doing, your decisions become your own.

University gives you the freedom to decide who you want to be, but with that freedom comes responsibility. It can be easy to follow the crowd simply because everyone else seems to be doing it. The challenge is learning how to remain grounded in who you are and what you believe.

When university feels lonely

Something else I have realised is that university can be a lonely place. You can be surrounded by thousands of people and still feel alone. You can have a full schedule of classes, assignments and activities and still find yourself struggling internally.

The academic workload can also become overwhelming, especially when you are trying to adjust to a new environment at the same time. I am only three weeks in, and I am already learning that asking for help is not a sign of weakness.

The recent death of a student has also reminded me that we never truly know what another person may be carrying. I did not know her personally, so I would never want to speculate about what she experienced or what led to her death.

What I can say is that her death has made the importance of checking in on one another feel even more real to me.

If you are a student who is struggling, please remember that you do not have to face everything alone. There are friends, family members, lecturers, counsellors, and other support services available. Sometimes the first step is simply telling someone, “I am not okay.”

You may feel like you have to figure everything out by yourself because you are now at university and becoming more independent. But independence does not mean isolation. There is always someone willing to listen.