Written by Hannah Van Dyk on behalf of RU Student Life

It was June 24, 2011, and I was sitting in my friend’s basement with my hair sprayed to high heavens. My prom was happening later that evening, but I had more important things to attend to at that point in time – mainly, refreshing my email numerous times to see if I had been accepted to residence. Sure enough, an email from Ryerson Student Housing Services came in, and my summer suddenly became about working my butt off to pay for school, fitting in as many farewells as possible, and obsessively finding out as much information as possible about Ryerson and residence life.

Now that you’re almost at the most wonderful time of the year (what time is that? SUMMERTIME!), here are some tips I learned from my final summer at home – and tips that I hope help you out!

1. Join the Conversations

As soon as I was accepted to residence, I was the annoying kid who posted on all the Facebook groups – including an embarrassing post about my desire to use extra toasters anyone may have had for toaster races in the hallways. Some thought it was quirky, some thought it was straight up weird. Amongst those who thought I was straight kooky? My future roommate and current best friend.

You don’t have to talk about toasters (and I would recommend you don’t), but join the conversations happening on social media, and use it as an outlet to meet new people! Find groups on Facebook for your full Class of 2018, your program, or your residence. Ask fun questions and find people with similar interests to you. Search for #Ryerson2018 on Twitter and Instagram, and start making friends now! One of my closest friends today is someone I met through the residence Facebook group, and if it wasn’t for my toaster discussions, my roommate wouldn’t have the nickname “Toaster Girl” for me.

2. Stay Up to Date

I spent the summer before moving to Ryerson devouring any and all information they provided on social media and on their blog, as well as scrolling through the Ryerson website, trolling for any important dates I needed to know. Social media and the RU Student Life blog should become your go-to resources. We provide the most relevant and up-to-date information on all things Orientation, but also on events and deadlines that will pop up throughout the year.

Not only was I up to date, but I read through as many of their archives as I could. RU Student Life has some great profiles on students just like you and tips that are so relevant to your student life. One of my favourite student profiles can be found here, and some of my favourite (and the most relevant tips for my school life)  can be found here.

If you’re moving into residence, our Student Housing blog is also filled with amazing profiles on students and staff alike, and fun tips on residence life – check it out here. 

3. Ask For Help!

This was my biggest struggle that summer – I was terrified of asking for help. If I’m being honest, I didn’t really even realize that our enrolment system (affectionately named RAMSS for us Ryerson RAMSS) had places for us to switch the time of classes. And I almost missed my enrollment date. I also didn’t even realize that you could pick your own classes from a big list of a bunch of classes!

Your summer doesn’t have to be trial and error – you can ask for help! Ryerson has so many incredible resources for you to take advantage of over the summer if you have questions. One key resource that you should familiarize yourself with now is the incredible team at AskMeRU! They know EVERYTHING about Ryerson, and can easily help you with some of the tricks of enrollment and important dates at Ryerson. Visit them when you’re visiting Ryerson, tweet them with your questions, or shoot them a phone call. And of course, don’t hesitate to contact us at @RUStudentLife with any of your questions.

4. Don’t Panic – Get Psyched!

I spent that final summer being incredibly, incredibly excited for my move in day, but there were numerous times when I thought, “I can’t do this, what am I doing, what did I get myself into, I can’t say goodbye to my mom, step dad, and sisters, what about my friends, THIS IS GOING TO BE A DISASTER!” And, if I’m being honest, that thought process has repeated itself over and over again in the last 3 years.

I want to reassure you: the panic and nerves you may experience as you embark on this new life journey are a part of life. But there is also so much for you to be excited about! In those moments of panic, when you’re wondering, “How in the world did I convince myself I could do this?!”, take a deep breath, and remind yourself that YOU’VE GOT THIS.

Then do an excited dance like Kermit the Frog:

What are some of the ways you’re preparing for your new adventure? Share your excitement with us using the hashtag #RoadToRyerson!

WE CAN’T WAIT TO MEET YOU!