Tiffany Chan

Tiffany Chan, an alumna from the class of 2018, just finished her first year of university and returned to Guangzhou for the summer. On May 6, Tiffany visited AISG to reconnect with underclassmen and teachers. Additionally, she shared her first-year experience from the University of Toronto.

After graduating from high school, many students have to separate from their family and friends, moving to different countries for university. Not only do they have to adapt to a different environment, many tend to have concerns about their initial university experience. Tiffany has lived in Guangzhou her whole life and attended AISG since kindergarten. It was worrisome for her as “it [was her] first time moving countries and schools,” so moving away was stressful, as she would be “away from her family and not having her childhood friends around.” The first month in university was hard for Tiffany, since she was very homesick and often had to call her friends. Eventually, she settled in and was able to adapt more to the new lifestyle, she “joined intramurals for basketball and met a lot of great friends.” Furthermore, Tiffany “was able to reconnect with people that [she] met during APAC tournaments and past AISG alumni.”

In comparison to high school, Tiffany commented that you have “a lot more freedom, but then you would have to be more independent and study on your own.” In high school, grade levels are usually clearly divided, but “in university, they all come together, there is no label of who is in what year.” Tiffany also added that “it is harder to open yourself up since there are a lot more students in your grade, so join different clubs and play sports to meet new people.”

Some tips Tiffany has for future graduates of high school are to “not be so nervous, know that everyone is in the same situation as you, [and that] no one is going to judge you since there are so many people in the school.” Moreover, she added that going into university helps students “manage time wisely because you won’t have anyone telling you to do stuff. Things such as doing laundry, study, clean up, and making sure you eat healthily. Keep your routines balanced, don’t focus too much on school, but also don’t focus too much on having fun.”

Overall, Tiffany grew to love her first-year experience in university as she made new friends, and this experience allowed Tiffany to learn about herself as a person.