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Semester One: Part One

Writer's picture: nourishedbirthdoulnourishedbirthdoul

For those of you who have gone to college/university before, you know what a steep learning curve that first semester is. I had wondered before attending college if I had what it took to survive school and if I was too old to remember how to even do school. It turns out I did, but boy was it ever an uphill battle!


When I was in highschool, I received a four year academic scholarship, and without really knowing what I wanted to do, I decided to pursue nursing. I arrive at college, 18 and living away from family for the first time, and it... did not go well. I fell into a bit of a depression, had no idea what it would take to study, spent tons of time with friends, and after a few months, I dropped out of college, stating that I "didn't think I was a good fit for the program." Now, to be fair - I don't think I was a good fit for the program, and I think 18 year old me made a relatively good decision, but I was primarily motivated by a fear of failing :P.


Fast forward 13 years, and I kept recalling how I had dropped out of college way back when. As the semester began, I wondered if I would be able to make it farther than I had last time. Eventually, we passed the date that I had dropped out previously, and by that time, I knew my grades were stable enough to pass the semester (and I'll be honest - I nearly made the Dean's list!). Praise the Lord!


When the end of the semester arrived, I realized that I probably wouldn't have made it if I hadn't slowly been getting used to life as a student over the last two years. In the fall of 2022, I started taking a couple courses at Horizon College and Seminary in Saskatoon, and over the course of the next two years, I started taking more and more classes until I was enrolled in a full time bachelor's program there. What a wonderful adventure that was! I was able to learn way more about God and grow closer to him (and be challenged in my faith - oh my goodness - so hard, but so good!). When I look back now, I realize that the Lord was preparing me for midwifery school by slowly building in me the capacity to study, be diligent, eat well, thrive on routine, etc. The first semester at Horizon, I literally had no idea what I was doing and nearly flunked out taking two courses. Lol. Anyways, God is good, and although I had no idea I would be heading to midwifery school in a couple years, He did!


Ok, enough for flashbacks, I want to share some details about the first semester of midwifery school at Mount Royal University. So, without any further ado, here are three things that I did this past semester that I think contributed to my success:


Setting Up School/Life Boundaries

This is probably my #1 tip for anyone ever. Decide before the semester starts when you are willing to study, and stick to it.


For me, I am not allowed to study on Sundays ever (unless there is like a mandatory group project specifically on that day, or an in-person test, field trip, etc). This means that I have to make time during the week to get my studying done, and I can't leave it all to the weekend. I have an online quiz due Sunday? No I don't, cuz now it's due Saturday :P. For me, this has been such a game changer. For one, I want to honour the Lord by saying that I trust him to sustain me in school, and I don't need to constantly be studying to pass. For two, I want a day that's quiet where I can spend time with my local church, friends, bake, go for a walk, hangout, etc. No thoughts of school allowed. And the most important thing? You have to actually stick to your boundary. The last week of biology I forgot I had a quiz due, and didn't remember until Sunday, and guess what? I got a 0 on that quiz because I wasn't allowed to do it on Sunday. While I was obviously bummed about that, I can assure you that will not happen again, because I never want to get a low grade for my forgetfulness again :P.


Additionally, I also have deadlines each day that I'm not allowed to study beyond. For me, this is when I go home. Studying at home is forbidden (so dramatic, lol), unless it's Saturday morning. If I don't have this boundary, school comes with me and I spend my entire evening studying at home instead of resting. No, thank you! Home is for rest, friends, hobbies, etc. School is for school. Typically, I aim to be heading home around 6pm, but again, sometimes I'll go until 7pm if needed. The idea here is that I have to be efficient with the time I have at school. The more time I give myself, the more time I will take - again, no thank you! I want to have a social life :P.


And finally... I'm not allowed to study the day of a test/quiz. I don't think cramming is ever a good idea, but especially not the day of the quiz. For me, it increases my stress, and makes me feel like I have to know 100% of everything. The reality is that unless I am willing to spend all of my time studying, I'm not going to be able to learn 100% of the material. I can strive for 80-90% and that will take significantly less time :).


Eating Well


I know this might seem super silly, and maybe like you can't afford to eat well, but honestly... while I was at Horizon, I realized that my brain did not work if I wasn't feeding it well. If you think about it, school is ridiculously stressful. You're asking your brain cells to work long hours under quite a bit of stress, and they need FOOD. And when I say food, I don't mean chips... I mean real nourishing food. At Horizon, I started to prioritize eating three full meals a day. Breakfasts can be quick, like smoothies, porridge, eggs, etc, but keep it nourishing! Pop tarts don't feed the brain nearly as well :P. I know that money is usually tight at University, but honestly at this point I am willing to take out a line of credit if needed to eat well, because it just increases my productivity so much. What is the point of doing all this work if I have to work twice as hard because I'm not feeding my brain? Additionally, I feel like I really learned how to cook confidently while at Horizon! I did keep my menu basic, though, because ain't nobody got time to be ridiculously fancy :P.


Sleeeeep

Ok, again, this might seem like "nobody has time to sleep!" But I cannot recommend enough getting atleast 8 hours of sleep a night. At Horizon, I would stay up all night studying, and it was ridiculous. I was so tired, had a hard time waking up, didn't enjoy things, etc. If you have proper boundaries in place for studying, there will always be time to sleep.


Put School In Its Place

I remind myself regularly that school is not the be all and end all. My identity is not tied to my grades, my job, etc. I have value even if I don't complete this program and become a midwife. Me and a friend used to joke in bible school that our grades didn't matter because we were children of God, and honestly that has stuck with me! I am redeemed by the Lord, He has provided everything I need by dying on the cross for me and thereby paying for my sins so I can be in right relationship with Him, and in light of all that... school is just something that I am pursuing because I want to serve people. There are others ways that I could serve people, though.


I think a lot of students are under a huge amount of pressure to go to school, get good grades, and become something. Their identity is in what they do, not in whose they are. So maybe this one won't make sense unless you're a Christian, but I strongly encourage you to put school in its place. Don't let it be the most important thing in your life. Let it take a back seat every once in awhile :P.


And that, folks, is a wrap for what I wanted to share this week. Next week, I will be sharing some specific tips on different strategies that I used for the 5 courses that I took last fall.


I hope you all have a lovely week,


God Bless!


Anna <3


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