First-Year at a Glance

Curious about what the first year is like for a full-time Trent student? Check out our handy month-by-month guide.

Note: Wondering about academic dates and deadlines? Want to know when your student’s tuition fees are due to be paid? You’ll find all that information and more in this roundup of important dates. 

September

Learning about university life by participating in orientation activities (a great opportunity to make new friends, explore the campus, and get up to speed on the academic aspects of university life).

• Becoming familiar with academic expectations (both the expectations of individual professors and the broader academic expectations set out by the university itself) and developing the types of study habits that are needed for success at the university level.
• Finalizing academic selections before the deadline to add courses.
• Zeroing in on interests and becoming clearer about personal values.
• Joining clubs or groups.
• Handing in the first batch of assignments.
• Learning how to manage finances (which, for some students, may mean seeking part-time employment).
• For students who are living away from home, moving into residence or into off-campus housing and getting used to living with roommates.

October

• Preparing for midterm exams.
• Making plans for the first long weekend of the school year—Thanksgiving Weekend.
• Learning how to juggle competing deadlines for essays, tests, and other major assignments.
• The end of the “honeymoon” period and, for many students, the onset of homesickness.
• The need to prioritize self-care as workload builds. Sleep can no longer be treated as optional. Ditto for physical activity, healthy meals, and stress management.
• Catching up on readings
• For those who are living away from home, possibly making a trip home during Reading Week.

November

• Managing the ongoing stress of midterm exams and coping with the rollercoaster ride that is midterm grades.
• Deciding whether or not you’re going to stick with a particular course (because this month marks the deadline for withdrawing from a course without academic penalty).
• Starting to prepare for final exams (for half-courses ending in December) and finishing work on the major assignments and projects that are due between now and then.
• Facing a budget crunch and working through financial challenges.

December

• Preparing for final exams (for half courses) and midterms (for full-year courses) while coping with the added demands of the holiday season.
• Getting ready to head home or to make other arrangements as the University closes for the winter holidays.

January

• Returning to Trent after the winter break and resuming classes again.
• Making sense of first-semester grades.
• Handing in the first assignments of the New Year.

February

• The start of midterm exams.
• Finishing work on essays and other major assignments that may be coming due around this time.
• The need to make self-care a priority once again. Think sleep, healthy eating, stress breaks, and physical activity.
• Catching up on readings
• For those who are living away from home, possibly making a trip home during Reading Week.

March

• Continuing to study for midterms.
• Deciding whether or not you’re going to stick with a particular course (because this month marks the deadline for withdrawing from a course without academic penalty).
• Beginning to prepare for final exams.
• Finishing work on essays and major assignments.
• Starting the search for summer employment.
• Facing a budget crunch and working through financial challenges.

April

• Handing in the final batches of assignments for this school year as classes end.
• Writing final exams.
• Packing up and moving out for the summer (for students living in residence).
• Taking stock of a momentous year: pausing to reflect on how much you’ve grown and changed and setting new goals for yourself (both personally and academically) as you begin to think ahead to the coming school year.