The ultimate guide to thrive in your first year at KPU

Stepping onto university grounds for the first time can be daunting.

Balancing classes with work, assignments, and life is no easy feat. Kwantlen Polytechnic University has many upper-level students who know what it’s like to be in their first year.

Fourth-year journalism student Jenna Arnett understands the intimidating transition to university life. 

In a statement to The Runner, Arnett wrote that she took a break after graduating high school before starting at KPU in 2022.

“My first year was really about learning a lot of new things and getting myself back into the groove of school,” Arnett wrote.

She adds that one of her goals was to step out of her comfort zone — and a big part was by meeting new people.

“Starting university meant having to branch out and build new friendships with classmates from scratch,” Arnett wrote. “It was definitely challenging at first, but it also pushed me to become more comfortable introducing myself and connecting with new people.”

Arnett adds that she’s had positive experiences with the different student services available at KPU.

“I think those services helped make KPU feel more approachable, and made me feel like I didn’t have to figure everything out completely on my own,” she wrote.

For Jean Pierre Bizimana, a second-year accounting student at KPU, consistency was key to navigating his first year at university.

“My first semester was a little bit of a grind, but staying consistent, showing up to my classes, and consistently asking questions to my teachers or my [peers] was what helped push me ahead,” Bizimana says.

He says that networking and making friends was a challenge, especially when it came to getting involved at KPU, adding that despite this, first-year students should not be afraid to put themselves out there.

“Don’t be afraid to try. Don’t be afraid to speak up, and definitely be the first person that tries anything,” Bizimana says. “One of the orientation leaders had mentioned [that] during some of the days that I was out here and that was really big for me.”

He says KPU services such as the library and the testing centre are important for students, adding that advising is the service he would most recommend to first-year students.

“I’m there maybe one to three times a semester. I know some of the advisors by name,” Bizimana says.