Tell me why I completely forgot about # 11 the moment I graduated .

Sorry to break this to you, but… it’s officially back-to-school season!!! Yippeeeee!!

And because most Augusts and Septembers in my life have been full of back-to-school or, more recently, back-to-university chaos, I thought I’d walk down memory lane and tell you EXACTLY what going to university in Canada is like.

1.Waiting for the two biggest events of the year: homecoming and St. Paddy’s, only to realize how overrated they both are.

2.Constantly being sick — all year round, no matter what the weather is, or how germ-avoidant you’re being.

3.Hearing practically the exact same round of majors at every school: business, health sciences, psychology, engineering — and feeling left out if you weren’t one of these.

4.And not to mention, hearing the SAME stereotypes about every one of those majors. I still calculate engineering as “scarily smart kids” in my head.

5.Racking up your heat bill in the winter despite being broke, because it’s just so. Damn. Cold.

6.Making a solid plan to catch up on work over reading week, but never actually following that plan.

7.Envying the people whose families are from Vancouver or Toronto when it’s time to get summer jobs — or, alternatively, thanking your parents that they happen to live in those cities.

8.Feeling soooo disoriented every time you come home to visit family, and enjoying not having to cook everything by yourself.

9.Always talking about going for a ski trip on the weekends, but never ending up doing it because of how busy you are.

10.Trekking to the bars in a winter jacket…

11.…waiting in line at coat check for what feels like hours to put away said jacket…

12.…only to stash your jacket in a corner so you don’t waste more time, hoping it doesn’t get stolen, and wishing you just toughed it out in the cold.

13.Planning road trips to other nearby universities, only to learn they’re all pretty much the exact same.

14.Praying for a snow day, but never actually getting one. And instead, having to trek across campus no matter what the weather looked like.

15.Meeting up with university friends at a cottage or two every summer.

16.Seeing exchange students from all around the globe and wondering why they would choose to come here…

17.…before realizing they probably just tried the University of British Columbia and didn’t get in.

18.Constantlyavoiding the Canadian geesethat take over campus…

19.…and watching out for their hisses, especially during nesting season.

20.Making efforts to dress nicely for class, but knowing you’ll just end up wearing boots and sweatpants instead.

21.And finally, seeing all your friends go back up to school for the Canada Day long weekend — and feeling FOMO if you couldn’t go.

Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, and Dave Franco stand in front of stairs, talking in a scene from a film. Jonah looks surprised, Channing looks serious

Anna Kendrick standing outdoors, looking surprised, with "Yikes." written in text overlay

A woman smiles while holding a colorful umbrella adorned with streamers in a festive and crowded street setting

A person holding a coffee cup and a tissue, sitting under a blanket with a thermometer nearby, possibly feeling unwell

A group of students, including a person holding a folder, stands and sits in a library, engaged in conversation and studying. The room is filled with shelves of books

Two women study together on a bed under a lamp. One writes in a notebook, the other looks on. A red sign with an upward arrow is on the wall behind them

A hand with a ring adjusts a home thermostat on the wall, setting it to 21 degrees Celsius

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A group of people enjoying a meal at a festive dining table decorated with flowers, candles, and pumpkins. A variety of dishes are being served

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A woman in a stylish leather jacket sits at a bar, looking at her phone. A glass of beer is in front of her

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Four people are sitting in a car, with two in the front and two in the back. They appear to be enjoying a conversation. Names not known

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Two adult geese and two goslings stand and graze on grass near a path with a background of trees and bushes in a park

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A person is sitting in front of a laptop in a cozy kitchen, drinking a smoothie and wearing glasses and a hoodie. Books and a smartphone are on the table

A group of people cheerfully clinking their glasses together in a toast at an outdoor evening gathering. Names of persons unknown