1. Don’t take yourself too seriously
The first thing that I am going to do is congratulate on having the balls to do FYP. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s very intense. But you know this already. You also know that Kings is a pretty prestigious university and there’s a part of you that is feeling pretty self-important right now. This is normal, but you’re going to have to get over it. Lot of other people who didn’t do FYP are very smart, successful people and they’ve all read the same books that you have. At the end of first year I had a very interesting five minute conversation with Yann Martel where he wanted to know about some of the fiction that I had read as part of FYP. He was impressed with exactly one book on the list, when I mentioned some of the really cool ones that I had enjoyed reading (The Waste Land, Death in Venice) he dismissed them as books that everybody read, and the one he was impressed with was one that I hadn’t even really read (The Emigrants). This is when I realized that FYP wasn’t as special as I thought it was. It is still an amazing program that does something not many universities do, and it is a great way to get prepared for the rest of university, but it isn’t doing anything new and innovative. So don’t take yourself to seriously when you talk about FYP to people who haven’t done it, because being in FYP is impressive, but not as impressive as you think it is.
If you do end up taking yourself very seriously (sometimes it’s hard not to) don’t worry, you’ll come down from that as an upper year.
2. Get involved with the KTS
Or the KSU, or KAFCA, or the Chapel Choir, or SAMS, or YAS, or one of the sports teams, or the Orchestra, or the King’s Chorus, or the Watch, or the DSS, or the Swing Dance Society, or the Dance Collective, or Journalists for Human Rights one of the many other really cool societies that Kings has to offer. There are so many and they are all really cool. Go to the society fair during frosh week and find out all about them. It’s really important that you do things outside of FYP. You will make friends you don’t go to class with and it will help you be less crazy. You have time.
3. King’s is a fishbowl
This is something you will hear over and over again, but it doesn’t make it any less true. Kings is a small school, it becomes even smaller when you take into account that not everybody becomes really involved in life at Kings (which is a mistake). Things get even worse in FYP because the people you go to class with are also the same people you live with, eat with, get drunk with, and make out with. Everybody knows everybody’s business. There were some people who I hadn’t talked to more than once and I still knew about their sex lives, and the same thing happened with me. You can’t escape this so keep this in mind when it comes to the decisions you make, especially when it involves hooking up and learn to care a little less about what people think of you.
4. Embrace the traditions
A lot of you are probably really excited that Kings is a lot like Hogwarts, but in case you aren’t, get over it. The traditions are great! Formal Meal¸ Matriculatrion, Sherry Hour, College Christmas (the best thing ever), Big Night, the Resurrection Party, the Dante Party, the April Fools water fight, these are all wonderful things that you should take part in whole-heartedly because they are all fun, all cool and all a big part of why Kings is so much better than any other university you could go to.
5. You will never, ever, ever be right. Stop trying.
Seriously. Being right isn’t the point of FYP. There is rarely ever one right answer in the humanities so stop trying to find one, and explore the different opinions and answers to questions rather than waste your time trying to prove why yours is right.
This will make you especially likeable in Tutorial.
6. You will not do well on your first FYP paper
You’ve been told this at least a hundred times since you applied for Kings, but I’m going to tell you again, because no matter how many times you’re told¸ you will still probably be upset by your grade. You’re used to getting A’s without trying, so when you think of a low mark, you’re probably thinking a B. That’s not the kind of low we’re talking about; I’m talking C-/D low. High School did not teach you how to write a paper, even if you did IB or went to a fancy private school that cost more money than the tuition you’re paying now. The reason you write so many papers in FYP is so you learn how to write a paper. Your mark will go up gradually and it is possible to get and A, but don’t expect to get one for a very long time.
7. Do at least some of the readings
No doubt you’ve heard or will hear about the FYP 2/3. The idea is that if you attend two of the three ways you study in FYP (readings, lecture, and tutorial) then you will do well. This is true, but try to do at least some of the reading, even if you don’t finish a book. These are really, really great books and worth reading. Even if you don’t read them on time (my goal is to do all of my FYP readings by the time I graduate)
8. The Wardroom is a wonderful place. Don’t be the one to ruin it.
When they tell you not to drink underage in the Wardroom, they mean it. Kings has a Wet/Dry license which means you can hang out in the Wardroom even if you’re underage, which is great because the Wardroom is so much fun. However it also means that the liquor board people are super vigilant about making sure the liquor laws are followed and since they don’t give out that kind of license anymore, if it gets revoked all of your underage fun at the Wardroom (and possibly any fun at the wardroom at all) will be at an end forever. And since kings is a fishbowl, everybody will know if it was you who ruined the Wardroom, and they will hate you. So save your fake IDs for downtown.
9. Don’t believe the hype about Dal kids
So everybody thinks Dal kids are dumb because they don’t read all the books that you do and they don’t care about class. But remember that the first experience you will likely have with Dal classes will be a first year language or science credit and there will be lots of kids who don’t want to be there. This is the way things are with most universities. You’re sheltered from this because not many people do FYP unless they are interested in it, but you have to remember that Kings is not the real world. There are lots of really great, friendly, intelligent Dal kids who don’t hate you automatically for being a Kings student and aren’t bros. In fact I’m dating one right now, and honestly there is nothing better than dating someone who doesn’t also go to Kings (see the part about the Fishbowl, again)
10. FYP is hard work, suck it up
Last year there was this big plagiarism scandal that rocked the school. A bunch of kids plagiarised a paper that was due the Wednesday after the midterm and a lot of people were upset for various reasons. I was just kind of confused because everybody makes it very clear before you start FYP that it is hard work. If you don’t want to work hard then you shouldn’t be in FYP. There will be days where you will be expected to read a whole book in a night and write a paper the same week you have an exam, and you will feel overwhelmed. But everything is doable. FYP is a picnic compared to upper years when you are taking five or six different classes with different expectations and you’ll have to hand in a paper on the same day as an exam, or two papers on the same day. Use FYP as a chance to develop a work ethic that will help you get through the rest of your degree. I wish I had.
11. Be open to the wonderful things you are going to learn.
FYP is awesome and eye opening and you will never experience anything else like it and you will never be able to look at the world in the same way after FYP. This is a wonderful thing that you should embrace. You won’t come out of FYP enlightened, you will come out confused, learn to love the confusion it’s not a road block, it’s an adventure.
So enjoy Frosh, enjoy FYP and remember that you go the best university ever.
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