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Arts and Humanities at Western University
By Emily Rigato
Tell us a bit about yourself - Where are you from, what program you are in, etc.
Hey! My name is Emily Rigato and I’m from Vaughan, Ontario and I am in arts and humanities.
What made you choose Western?
I always knew I wanted to leave home, but from the moment I saw the videos on youtube and social media posts, I immediately knew that I belonged at Western. The welcoming environment, friendly peers, stunning campus and excellent reputation in conjunction convinced me that I would not be able to see myself at any other university. Furthermore, as I was looking into business options, the ones at Western particularly stuck out to me because they allowed students to explore other aptitudes while simultaneously allowing them to keep focused on studying business.
What are some tips you can give students in their last year of high school to prepare and get them into university?
It’s okay to not know what you want to do with your life after high school. My advice is to take courses you enjoy and as time goes on - you can switch programs and find something that fits you. In highschool it felt like I was stuck in a bubble where everyone was a copy and pasted version of one another and just physically separating myself from that environment has truly helped me find myself and inner happiness. In highschool, maintain the best marks you can possibly achieve and put out nothing but your best.
You are not in the program you initially wanted - how does this affect you? Should students be worried if they go into a program they did not want as much? What can you do to transfer into the program in the 2nd year?
Not getting into the program I initially desired was a little bit discouraging at first, but following through with my backup plan is not the end of the world. My grade 12 environment outside of school was tough, which inturn had an effect on my academic performance. I have since turned this new path into an opportunity and am now using it as motivation while striving to better my grades to achieve my goal for next year. Werstern’s BMOS program is ideally the program I would like to graduate from, and I think that by switching into it one year later is far more ideal than attending a different school completely.
What is one thing students in First year need to experience? What has been your favourite moment at Western?
DON’T OPT OUT OF THE O WEEK FEE!! The rush of O WEEK has made it one of the most memorable weeks of my life. Making new friends, exploring the campus and attending events are all traditional experiences every frosh (first year) goes through and will be taken with me for the rest of my life.
Living alone can be very expensive - what are some tips on saving money in university?
First of all - DON'T GO TO THE MALL ONCE A WEEK, DONT GO GET BUBBLE TEA 4 TIMES A WEEK! The single most expensive thing for university is textbooks, as they can get upwards of $300, even for the online textbooks. One thing I’d suggest is maybe reach out to a friend that’s been in the same class and ask if they’re willing to sell/lend the book for the year, or go out on facebook marketplace and search up the textbooks you need!
How did you schedule your timetable? Why did you structure it the way it is?
I knew I would need lots of recovery time to study and take time for myself, so to accommodate I have my classes all spaced out with none scheduled back to back. As well as not scheduling any classes prior 9:30am as I know I won’t wake up for it. Be sure that you value your sleep and plan your morning classes accordingly - I was lucky enough to basically give myself a day off on Tuesdays, which is also a great way to just relax and dedicate the day to homework and revitalizing.
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