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Biochemistry Co-op at University of Guelph
Emily (Year 3)
emi651@gmail.com
emily_tusnadi
What did you wish you knew before going to your university? What made you choose this institution over all others? What are advantages and disadvantages of your institution or campus? List any advice for incoming first-year students about your university.
University of Guelph has an amazing campus and I fell in love with it when I came for a campus tour. As a piece of advice I would say get to know all of the resources available to you from the beginning. Guelph has lots of study groups, mental health resources, clubs and more that I wish had taken advantage of my first year. There are so many ways to get involved on campus so look for those ways to make connections and have new experiences. I would also say to think about CO-OP because it allows you to get job experience while completing your undergraduate degree and helps you decide what type of work you can see yourself doing in the future.
What did you wish you knew before choosing your specific program? What are the advantages and disadvantages of your program? List any advice for incoming first-year students about your program of study.
Going into my program it was more difficult than I realized when initially applying but all the learning experiences I've had have been rewarding. Dedication to the workload is important and I strongly suggest finding others in this program to form study groups with. This program is smaller than most other biological science programs and the people you get to know will be in all your classes and are a great help!
What was your favourite university experience?
O-week and living on residence was a great experience because I got to meet so many new people and the events were a lot of fun!
What was your least favourite university experience?
Exams and certain tough courses can make for bad experiences but there are always classes you end up loving.
What is the hardest part about your program and what were the steps that you took to overcome any difficulties?
Biochemistry can be a difficult program for many people but those who dedicate themselves and enjoy what they're doing will love their time at Guelph in Biochemistry. A majority of the difficult courses I've found were chemistry courses but for the most part the professors and TAs are kind and always willing to help you understand the material
What was your favourite course and why?
There are so many courses I enjoyed so far. I really enjoyed the first year physics courses! But I think my favourite course would be Introduction to Biochemistry. The labs were amazing and the content was really interesting to me. I also had a great professor who was passionate and excited about her teaching which made it an even better experience. (Course code is BIOC*2580)
Additional Comments
There are so many jobs and volunteer positions available on campus that I would encourage looking in to (I gave residence tours my first year and it was really rewarding!). There are also lots of clubs to choose from to better your community or just have fun! I have found everyone is nice and welcoming and there are tons of ways to meet new people especially during O-week. Take advantage of all the resources Guelph offers to help better your university experience such as mental health services, library services, athletic facilities and more.