Any advice on the transition between highschool to college?

Graphic arts? What better place to learn and experience the graphic arts graphically than in a big city? There’s so much life there. And if your boyfriend is going there with you, isn’t that even better?

From what I know of college life, it’s just pretty much dorms or staying with a group of friends in a rented apartment somewhere. You can have jobs (that’s what I heard in Canada) and get your own salary, buy your own food, live your own life. Of course, there’s the studying, but I never heard much of that. =P

I moved from a town of 550 people to go to college as well. My best advice would be to not let location be your judge of where you should go. By that I mean, don’t let it be a limiter. Go wherever you are capable of going which will help you accomplish your dreams. Figure out what those dreams are and pursue them with all the fury of a rabid mosquito hawk.

Eyes wide open.
Be friendly, and try not to judge – try to learn about things you may react negatively to first.

Big city is your best bet for that career.

For college, invest in a good pair of flip flops. Dorm showers are the worst!

Choose the school which has the best graphic design program. Don’t plan your future around a boyfriend which may not last. Don’t let that be the only reason you move to Ottawa, make sure you’ll be happy there should something happen between the two of you. Also, like others have said, keep an open mind. It’s a great time for learning new things, not only in the classroom :). High school to college is a HUGE transition, especially in your case, coming from a small town. Just make sure to allot yourself plenty of time for study. You don’t want to be stuck at the end of the semester having to cram. Don’t stress over it, it’s challenging but fun! Good Luck!

Learn how to do laundry, and find out how to make Ramen noodles into a healthy meal. Figure out how to sleep in the midst of unfamiliar noise and make sure you have a good alarm clock so you can get to class on time. Make sure to lock your door and use commonsense when approached by strangers. Get to class on time and do your homework as it comes along. Have fun and learn new things. This is a time to test your wings, so have at it.

Most of the time freshmen end up living on campus, which can provide a relatively calm base from which to explore the big city.

As a Torontonian graduating soon I answered a question about the college experience earlier here.

I wholeheartedly recommend it, there’s nothing to be scared about, I know a lot of friends that have moved from smaller towns in Ontario to Toronto to study and some returned and others are staying after grad but they all enjoyed the experience. I think it’s crucial to explore and experience diverse experiences because you simply won’t have that chance again later in life.

have you been accepted to any schools yet?

you seem to know that you want to do graphic arts, but school might surprise you. I went into my undergrad as an engineering major, and i just graduated with a degree in philosophy… sliiiiiightly different! haha

don’t let your boyfriend be the deciding factor about where you go to school. you don’t want to follow him somewhere and then end up resenting him for being “stuck” somewhere that is not the right fit for you.

it’ll be amazing
be excited