You’ve definitely heard of this feeling before: homesickness. The feeling of missing home, friends and family, especially when you’ve moved away from where you grew up. It doesn’t matter how great the distance, but it’s always just enough to make you miss that comforting hug of your parents or your best friends, to miss your pets and their silly antics, or even just the look of your bedroom – carefully tailored to your interests and things that make you happy and feel secure.

Nerves always flare up in the first couple of weeks of post-secondary. It can happen during exams, too, and you start to question yourself and what you are doing there. It happens to us all and it is perfectly normal. That feeling can also be called “imposter syndrome”- the overwhelming feeling that you do not deserve to be there at all.

It doesn’t particularly help when the professors themselves say in their first year that more than half of your class won’t be in the second-year class. This doesn’t always apply to the grade “situation” (as it is different from high school), but rather, you find yourself wondering if this is what you want to do as a career – since you are paying money (through personal sources, scholarships or a student loan) for this, it’s definitely the year to reflect to see if it is what you want to do.

But back to nerves about leaving home – because of all the possible factors:  new school, new friends, new grades and pressure you put on yourself, it can be rather intimidating. So we’re here to focus on how to feel good about yourself, and your chosen path before you get into post-secondary. It’s a time of self-reflection – and it’s okay if you don’t know what you want to do. You may have a better idea after accepting a post-secondary school offer and going through the degree half-way through. (This is why I recommend talking to a school counsellor at the half-way point, to see if there are other options that you did not consider – such as changing your major to a double major since you’ve taken enough courses in the second major to qualify – this has happened to me and is the reason why I became a double major.)

What makes you feel good? You can apply that to post-secondary as well – do they have a really cool gym that you would love to use? An extensive library, with comfortable chairs where you can see yourself at home while studying or researching materials? You can even look for other items that may be a little different: clubs for activities you enjoy such as crocheting or board games, clubs to join where you can make new friends; even looking for to ensure there is a strong Internet connection, so you can contact your family and friends if you’re feeling a little down and want some support. Are there events planned that appeal to you – like a social mixer with food from other cultures?

Whatever makes you feel good, there are plenty of opportunities, and I hope you take the opportunity to find something you like. Try new things. Don’t worry about being nervous: we have all been there, and you can always tell your friends and family all about the cool experiences you’ve had and realize that you feel happy and good at the place you chose.

It’s our experiences that help shape us – and those experiences can help you with your future paths.