Hi everyone, welcome back to my “University Life” blog series. This is part 2 of 4. This one will be focused on my first year of university starting from the point I left off in the prelude.

The University of the West Indies is the best in the region. Going in I thought I wasn’t quite prepared for what was coming for me. I had barely gotten through A Level and only got okay grades and CSEC level. The proverbial cards were stacked against me. I knew I couldn’t let my parents down however, so I decided I’d step my game up and become a better version of myself.

Year I - Semester I

The first semester was very revealing. My course selection was as follows:

• Introduction to Financial Accounting
• Introduction to Computing Concepts
• Computer Programming I
• Introduction to Microeconomics
• Caribbean Civilisation

Coming into this semester, my only experience with business theory was during my Form 3 Accounting classes. I had no desire to be educated more in any business-focused courses for a very large portion of my life. That starkly contradicted my father’s advice to me which was to do at least one business-focused subject. I declined. What I decided to do at university was to finally take his advice and become a more well-rounded individual.

I figured it would be a struggle but if I’m being honest, the business courses were my favorite during the first semester, and also those to come. I loved them and legitimately considered switching my major at some point.

The only piece of advice I’ll be giving in this part is to start assignments early. I’m glad I followed this advice from day one. Admittedly it was more due to fear of being unable to complete assignments on time at first, but eventually, it just became a habit. By doing this I allowed myself to destress A LOT. While everyone was busy stressing over their assignment at the last minute, I’d just be on the court shooting hoops. Honestly just thinking about the court brings back so many amazing memories… but I digress.

I enjoyed my first semester. I met so many people and did so many things. I was in a foreign country all on my own. It was nice. It was also during this semester that I got involved in the St. Lucian Students’ Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LuSATT). They became a pillar that I could lean on in times of need and I also provided what I could to help the organization succeed. More to come on LuSATT in this post and further parts.

One unforgettable moment of this semester was the Republic Day fireworks. I had never seen so many fireworks launched during one session. It was amazing. One of the highlights of my entire time in Trinidad.

The ending of this semester had me discovering something astonishing… I was smart. To this day I still hate calling myself that. People around me believed that I was being deceitful when I told them I wasn’t that smart, but based on all prior events, I was not! It came as a shock when I saw my final grades.

• Introduction to Financial Accounting: A
• Introduction to Computing Concepts: A-
• Computer Programming I: A+
• Introduction to Microeconomics: B
• Caribbean Civilisation: A

I was honestly quite surprised when I got my first semester results (from here on out I won’t be talking about grades much). This left me in quite a peculiar spot. While before I believed it was alright to just be average at university, I set myself a high bar to clear. From this point onwards my family had different expectations of me and I had no idea how I would fulfill these expectations. Internally, it was hell.

Year I - Christmas Break

I honestly can’t remember too much about my Christmas break that year. I’m sure I had fun, but honestly speaking, I thought Trinidad was a better place for me. I don’t know if it was because of the sense of individuality I got when I was there but I can remember anticipating my return to Trinidad. Very unpatriotic but that’s how it was. The highlight of this break was surprising my mother. I decided to change my return flight’s date to the 17th of December to surprise my mother. I remember this clearly since it was also my father’s birthday. It was a fun experience. Side note though… Turbulence in a Boeing 777, is not the best.

Year I - Semester II

This semester felt relatively tame. Nothing much happened. One of the most relevant things was that I decided to not spend all my money. I decided to just cook, refrigerate, and microwave. Saved me a ton of money. So I guess this is another piece of advice. Keep track of your spending and cut where you can.

Another key part of this semester was that I put locs!!! Was rough as hell at first but it got better over time.

My participation in LuSATT was also increasing. It seemed like I was being prepared to take up a role in the executive. The majority of the executive at that point would be graduating so some of their replacements would likely come from the first years.

At the end of the semester, my LuSATT (fear and dream) came true. I was elected to the post of Vice President. I had no idea how to do it. I was concerned that I would not be able to successfully do my job. It was scary, but it was a good challenge that paid off in the future. I might be speaking too far into the future but, involvement in groups such as LuSATT feels like an important part of a holistic university journey. I highly recommend it.

Now to get the boring stuff out of the way. This semester’s courses were:

• Introduction to Cost and Management Accounting
• Computer Programming II
• Computer Programming III
• Introduction to Macroeconomics
• Scientific and Technical Writing

The only thing to note in this semester was that I got a C+ in Scientific and Technical Writing. I was more than happy though. I did a group project on my own essentially and it didn’t count toward my degree GPA. The only requirement was that I passed it and I did.

The other courses weren’t noteworthy. My cumulative GPA dropped a bit but I wasn’t worried at all. Being done with Scientific and Technical Writing was enough for me.

End

I don’t think there was anything else of note to speak of within that year. I avoided speaking on personal specifics, but since a lot of the activities were personal I can’t say much. Just know it was a great first year. Thanks for reading!