What drew me to become an SL leader?
As an international student starting university in a new country, I was looking for every resource that would help me work through my courses. So, when I learned about SL, I decided to attend whenever I could. Soon these sessions became a part of my routine and gave me that extra push to succeed in my course. My leader inspired me and by the end of the semester, I had no doubt that I wanted to be a part of SL.
Best advice I’ve ever received:
“Just start and the rest will come to you by itself!” Everything seems complicated and difficult from the outside but once we start a project, it gets much easier. This also helps battle procrastination.
What I wish I’d known on the first day of university:
I wish someone had told me that it’s not as difficult as it seems. I felt quite overwhelmed and was unsure if I would be able to do well in disciplines I hadn’t ever studied before but my friends, professors and all the resources on campus made me feel confident - quite fast. (Also, the library is extremely helpful, especially for Arts).
My academic “a-ha moment”:
I had been trying to figure out the most useful learning techniques and slowly realized that self-testing worked best for me. Reviewing everything just before the test was nearly impossible and would leave me anxious and wondering if I remembered anything. However, once I figured out that all I had to do was solve possible questions and, in the process, understand which areas I was not sure about, I felt much more confident walking into my exams.