A new semester always brings excitement. However, for young Canadian undergrads, it also brings homesickness, money worries, and a steep learning curve. Across Nova Scotia, first-year students are settling into dorm rooms and lecture halls for the very first time. Their stories reveal just how demanding this transition really is.

Homesickness and the Weight of Independence

Seventeen-year-old Eli Jones will start classes next week at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax. He has already moved into residence, and he is living on his own for the first time in his life.

“It is like adjusting to the whole new environment,” Jones said. He worries that homesickness could distract him from his studies. He also admits that self-discipline does not come easily to him yet.

“If I get homesick, that might set me back,” he said. “I tend to leave (studying) to the last minute, and I have to break out of that habit. It is going to be hard to adjust.”

A few blocks away, 20-year-old Erica de Carolis feels a similar mix of nerves and anticipation. She enrolled at Dalhousie University after spending two years at a CEGEP program near Montreal, Quebec.

“I am kind of nervous and scared,” de Carolis said. As a first-year student living far from her family, she wants nothing more than to make her parents proud. “I want to show them that I’m very grateful for the opportunity that I got,” she said.

These feelings are especially common in Nova Scotia. In fact, the province has the highest proportion of out-of-province university students and graduates in the country, according to Statistics Canada. As a result, thousands of young Canadian undergrads arrive each fall without the built-in support of nearby family.

Rising Costs Add to the Stress

Money is often the biggest source of anxiety for new students. Tuition and living expenses could run more than $20,000 for both Jones and de Carolis this year alone. Consequently, many students now treat budgeting as seriously as they treat their coursework.

“I need to make sure I’m not spending money on unnecessary things,” Jones said. Meanwhile, a recent grocery run left de Carolis shocked at how quickly prices add up. She quickly realized that her first year would test her wallet as much as her work ethic.

“Housing, jobs, school, trying to get all my assignments done on time, getting a good grade point average,” she said. “It is definitely a mix of all of that, and it is a lot of stress.”

Liza Zahid, president of the Saint Mary’s University Students’ Association (SMUSA), hears these concerns daily. Additionally, she notes that Canada’s ongoing affordability crisis has pushed some students into painful trade-offs between food and school supplies.

“The cost of textbooks, and the course material has become an issue,” Zahid said. “And the cost of housing as well because rent is so high.” For many incoming undergrads, this financial squeeze shapes nearly every decision they make.

Universities Offer a Helping Hand

Fortunately, schools are stepping up. Dalhousie University, for example, provides hands-on support for first-year students living away from home for the first time. That support often comes from people who understand the transition firsthand.

“It could be a peer, a student leader, an upper-year student mentor, a staff person, a professor or a lecturer,” said Melissa MacKay, Assistant Vice-Provost of Student Well Being. “They can help students see that they have what it takes and they will do great.”

Financial advisors are also available on campus to help students build a realistic spending plan. “We wrap supports around them to make sure they have all that they need,” MacKay said. Therefore, students who reach out early often find the transition much smoother.

De Carolis has already taken that advice to heart. Even though classes have not started yet, she has already met with an academic advisor to map out her semester. “I talked to him a lot about how I’m stressed,” she said. “I made up a study plan with him, to make myself organized.”

Beyond academics and finances, many students also worry about their future job prospects. Still, de Carolis has decided to set that concern aside for now and focus on the year ahead. “It is definitely something that makes me nervous, but I feel as long as I have a straight mindset and I’m on the right path, I will (be) OK,” she said.

Ed McHugh, who teaches part-time at three universities, works closely with students navigating this same uncertainty. “When I went to school, our job market was a little more open with opportunities,” McHugh said. “I tell them to go take a program, try something and see if you’ll like it or not.”

Above all, McHugh wants students to know they are not alone. Whenever stress builds up, campus advisors and support staff remain ready to help. For young Canadian undergrads everywhere, that reminder may be the most valuable lesson of orientation week.