Labour Day weekend is when students say good-bye to summer vacation and hello to another academic year, full of promise and hope. It also means jamming as many personal possessions as possible into the family vehicle as that post-secondary student heads off to residence life.
In North Bay, Nipissing University students checked into residence last week. Over at Canadore College, it was a busy weekend as over 400 students moved into, what will be their home, for the next eight months.
Many of the first year students walked through the doors with mixed emotions, ranging from anxiety to excitement.
First-year student Keegan Renaud made the move to North Bay from Kirkland Lake.
"I'll have to adjust to being away from home. I plan to keep in touch with family and friends. I should be fine. I'm doing Frosh week so I'll meet new people and make new friends to connect with."
Not only is this his first year away at school, it's also the first time Nik Kowal has been to North Bay.
"I like what I've seen so far. I settled in fine. I was a little bit nervous coming up here because it's a five and a half hour drive, but everything turned out great. The room is great, I have a window with a view so that's nice. My roommate is nice, so everything I was expecting is here."
Justin Rainville, planned ahead by connecting with his roommate.
'I brought as little as I needed. I talked to my roommate before so we knew what to bring, but then his parents ended up bringing a lot more, but that okay. There are worse things than having duplicates. If one breaks then you've got a spare."
This is the first post-secondary experience for Blair Robb.
"I wasn't nervous, I was just anxious and excited to actually get up here and not sit around waiting. As far as adjusting, I'm looking forward to meeting new people. When you get into your program, you find people with the same likes and goals, so that will help."
First-year Aviation student Cassidy Prieur made the trek from Windsor. Through texting, Prieur and her room mate have already set the ground work for living harmoniously.
"We've talked about sleeping patterns, what happens if one is an early riser or the other stays up late, what we're bringing, so we can split on things. I'm anxious to meet the people in residence and get set up and figure out what I'm doing in this whole aviation thing. This is all new."
As Residence Services Supervisor for Canadore College, Liz Rodrigues says a successful "move in day" requires a little bit of luck and a lot of planning. Parents questions were answered, students concerns were addressed as they settled into their new home.
"Parents are concerned about their child moving away from home for the first time. All of a sudden they have to do their own laundry, they have to cook for themselves. We're treating them as adults and all of a sudden they have to figure things out on their own. We can direct them as best we can. We've also got staff here so if someone is feeling homesick, there's always someone to talk to. We've got a really dynamic team here to give them some tips and tricks to make their first year here successful. " said Rodrigues.
Valerie Kasaboski and her daughter Megan made the drive from Renfrew.
"Megan is having a little bit of homesickness already, but she's going to do fine. It's been crazy trying to get everything in, get her room set up, and pay for residence, get her books and her schedule. We're going to get some groceries right now," laughs Valerie. "I know she's got her sister here, her sister is going on her third year so she'll do well."
Megan's concerns are focused more on academics.
"I'm nervous for classes to start but I think it will be okay. Once I get into a routine I think it will be easier to be here."
Kasaboski says she's fortunate that at least her daughters are in the same city, which makes the move easier to coordinate.
Bernard Nelson, is one those parents who aren't so lucky. The logistics of getting his two of his children to campuses at either end of the province requires a great deal of planning and travel.
"This is part of being a parent. You've got to let them go and get their education so they can reach their goal. This is going to be their future and it looks good for all of us. I support all my children. On Tuesday, me and my wife and our dog are going to be in the house all by ourselves.We're going to be lonely, but I actually feel good about it," he laughs. "But I don't know about my wife."
