Moving Across the Country for BMOS at Western

By Raian Chunara

Hello, my name is Raian Chunara and I am from Edmonton, Alberta. I am in Business Management and Organization Studies at Western University, and am aiming to pursue a specialization degree in Consumer Behaviour.

Why did you choose the program you’re in? What was appealing about the program and the school, and what key features of the university did you focus on when choosing Western?

I chose Western University for many reasons, the main one being their Consumer Behaviour program. I love marketing and advertising, and Western had a great reputation for business. I found it to be a perfect fit. Another reason why Western was so appealing to me is because my childhood best friend is in BMOS as a second year student, as well as my sister who is in 4th year. I lived in Edmonton my whole life and wanted to move out for university. I believe that having multiple people who I’m close with makes the moving transition much easier.

How did you find the transition from high school to university?

The work transition was surprisingly much harder than moving across the country. The workload I had in high school was minuscule compared to now. Especially during the pandemic, the amount of work we had in high school was much less. To go along with that, my work ethic was terrible and I would always do the least amount of work possible. I knew I needed to change and I definitely struggled to keep up with my assignments and stay on task. I had to explore different ways of studying and doing homework to try and find a sustainable way to complete my work. In the beginning I would cram everything in one or two days, and this ended up being very detrimental.

Is it hard being an out of province student living across the country? How do you deal with things like homesickness?

To my surprise, I have gotten homesick. It is tough leaving almost all my friends and family behind. It made me feel like I took the opportunity to see them for granted. I talk to my parents on the phone, and will just tell them about my day. For my home town friends, I use Snapchat and FaceTime just so that I can see their faces.

How did you adjust to a different learning environment? How did you make new friends?

I have also made friends here that I consider family. I still find it so hard to believe that within just a few weeks, strangers became some of the closest people in my life. It’s hard to imagine my life without them now. To think someone knocking on my dorm door would lead to such strong friendships. For anyone new coming to Western, just remember that everyone is nervous, and in the same boat as you. It may seem like making friends is hard, but it will all come naturally. Just be yourself and talk to as many people as you can, because you never know who will be your new best friend.

What is one major tip for students looking to attend Western University who are similar to you - finding high school easy and needing to jump the workload barrier ?

One tip for new students would be to manage your time, and spread your work over the week. Don’t let everything get piled up, because you just get more and more work. You will also miss out on everyone having fun and partying , while you are stuck doing work.

Apart from school work, what extracurriculars do you take part in? How do you get involved?

One of the things I have had the most fun doing at Western is the extracurriculars. I play for a flag football intramural team which is great. It really reactivated my joy of the game, as well as making sure I’m exercising a couple days a week. The Western Foodies and Western Sports Business are two clubs I joined. They both give me the opportunity to meet others with similar passions as me. It is very comforting to be in an environment surrounded by people similar to me.