Arts and Sciences at the University of Toronto attracts high performers. New undergrads arrive on campus, hit the ground running, and expect to earn their degrees at top speed. Then, they find unexpected hurdles on the track. Like many students, alumnus En Hua Hu had to change pace and learn how deal with new challenges at the beginning of his university career.
“The first year is difficult, and part of it is the classes,” En Hua said, “but part of it is also being in a new environment, facing certain types of disappointments for the first time. I did poorly in my first-year classes. Nonetheless, the university experience is a marathon, not a sprint, so I encourage undergraduate students to not let their performance discourage them in first or second year. There is still a lot of time and there is so much potential in everyone.”
Living at Innis College gave En Hua the space he needed to overcome his own initial disappointments.
“As my family did not live in Toronto, Innis provided a space that felt safe and welcoming,” he remembered. “I stayed at the residence, and it was a great experience.”