First Weeks of The University Life

I have studied my whole life in a school which consisted roughly 3000 students confined within a limited area and a couple of buildings. Then after my VISA was approved, I went to the US for my higher studies at the University of Texas at Arlington. I attended my orientation on August 15 and until today which is September 15, technically it’s just been a month, but it almost feels like ages. It was a tremendous change in every aspect for me. Today when I am writing this article I don’t feel so different but the first weeks were surely the opposite because I wasn’t used to such life.

First Day at the Orientation

I entered the university as a freshman pursuing a bachelor in Electrical Engineering. During my first day which was the day of the orientation, I had no idea how was it going to be. I woke up late and was eating during my ride to the university. I hurried to get there because there was so much traffic since it was office hour and then eventually got in time. There was a massive crowd of students in a hall who were also there for the orientation. I was intimidated slightly with the crowd, and then I was guided towards a room with several lines of students standing in a queue to get their pass, so I got into my queue and waited my turn to get the pass. We were guided towards a huge hall with lots of students, and I loved every aspect of that room beside its temperature which was way low. Then it started, and I got to know lots of information about the university, its resources and so on, everything a new student is supposed to know. All that information and the way they presented was just outstanding. The way they gave us suggestions dividing us into groups, the way they advised us to take classes that would fit our majors was fantastic. When it was over, I went home and came back tomorrow with the purpose of exploring the university. It was so huge, I didn’t even think it would be that way. I sure did some research about the area of the university but never realized it would be so huge. There were so many fountains huge buildings that it was easy for anyone new to get lost. It’s funny how even now after studying here for a month I haven’t even explored half of the university properly.

Seniors welcoming us

My classes started on August 24. When I arrived there, lots of students were roaming here and there. I had to go quickly and find my classes, so I entered the address of the hall and followed the map. I know this sounds crazy, but during the first couple of days, it’s good to have a map with you. When I reached to the hall, I had trouble finding the room so I went in every direction and I finally found it. I was on time. The first class at university was of English and coincidentally it was the first day at the university for my professor as well who joined the university the same time as me. With a whole bunch of students whom I never knew in my life, who had come to study from far and near, it was a pleasant experience in an entirely different environment.  I attended two more classes and then went home. For a couple of weeks, I was going to the university getting home doing assignments and so on. They teach a lot of things in a short time that it’s hard to take a leave for a day because it’s going to get piled up the next day. As an EE major (Electrical Engineering major) I expected to start studying about electricity and cool stuff like circuits and so on, but it didn’t work out that way. I was forced to take classes like Politics, Math, English, Economics, MAVS 1000 and Intro to EE. Out of this only Intro to EE was a subject directly involved to my major whereas others were classes to hone my skills and prepare me for future semesters. MAVS 1000 is a first-year experience course for freshman students aiming to make the first year more engaging and helping to understand the aspects of the university.

The best thing possibly of the university life is its events. You know, a university has so many students who are engaged in so many groups that it’s kind of weird if you don’t become a part of one. Everyone remains involved in one way or another. The university itself conducts tons of events especially for freshman so that we can meet new people on a regular basis and have a momentous year ahead. Most of these events happen during the first few weeks of the university, so it’s essential you stay nearby the university if you don’t want to miss those. Till date, I have been to about 10 events, and all of them were incredibly entertaining. They give you free t-shirts and food and stuff like that to encourage you to go and be a part of it. Just yesterday I went to the volleyball game of my university versus another who came all the way from California. It was my first time in a stadium watching a match with my friends. All that noise, the game, and the stadium were a fabulous such that even I was occasionally screaming for my team.

Volleyball game

When you study at a university in the US, you are always a part of something bigger than you can imagine. I have made so many friends across the globe who speak multiple languages, and it feels great to interact with them, telling them my experiences and listening to theirs. Most of the student bring their laptop to take notes, and it’s a requirement for doing homework’s because you need to submit them online. My order got canceled because of some issues, so it came late, and for a week I didn’t have a laptop. So, I used to go the library and do it over there. The library was so vast, and it remains open all the time. You need to swipe your ID card in most of the places to get in. The Mavericks Activities Center (MAC) is my personal favorite which consists of gyms, games, swimming pools and so on. I go there often and play games with my friends.

To sum up, the university life is a busy life where you are expected to study hard by your faculties and family. But it can be much more than that. In this first couple of weeks, I have experienced so many things that it feels excellent to have all this. This was pretty much the experience I had in my first couple of weeks. There is a lot of things that you need to keep in mind, such as the resources, the deadlines, the organizations, events and so on. In future, I expect to have the similar sort of experience. While I want to study well and graduate in time to become an electrical engineer I also hope to participate in various programs/events, make new friends, utilize the resources of the university as well as represent my university in some sort of game which would be a lifetime experience.