Let's do this

                                                                                                                                         So it begins.

The view that I told my self I would
take a picture of on my graduation day!
June 13th, 2013

It took me a very long time to get to this point. After 5 very rewarding years at the University of Toronto, I am finally moving on.  As amazing as it was attending University on one of the greatest campuses in the world (yeah I said it), I really wish I was proactive before starting classes back in 2008. The reality is, I was an 18 year old heading off to University in the only city that I love – working hard to succeed academically was the last thing on my mind. Why?  Probably because I thought that an ‘A ‘average in high school could be easily maintained in University. And you can’t really blame me for thinking this way. Another reason was that I had absolutely no passion for what I was studying. Regardless, one thing is for sure,  there is very little about high school that prepares you for the shock that comes in university. Entering my first year at U of T was like stepping into a whole new world. It was a time to make new friends, learn a whole new campus, and essentially do this all independently. Don't get me wrong, there are tons of resources provided by U of T for undergrads to discover their passions and help pursue their ideal careers (Writing Centre and Career Centre just to name a few), yet many of these resources go unnoticed by the thousands of students that trek downtown daily. For nearly two years, I was one of these students.

I can't be the only one who was told in high school, over and over again, that university is about experiencing and finding out your niche or your path. If I could paraphrase what every piece of advice I received has  told me about university, it would be: “don’t worry, you’ll figure it out.” While I don't disagree that University is the best time for this, I have trouble agreeing that giving students this mentality is beneficial in the long run. What all these people failed to tell me was that 'experimenting' isn't part of the criteria that is taken into consideration when applying to law school or any other graduate/professional program. You don't get to start over when you decide that you don't like your program of study or concentration. For me, this meant that the 43 that I literally worked my butt off for in first-year Chemistry would forever haunt me (and trust me, I’ve never studied more for two tests and an exam IN MY LIFE). Additionally, the other mediocre grades that I ‘achieved’ in my other Life Science courses would also put me at a disadvantage and I couldn’t do a thing about it!
I can certainly say that my achievements, or lack thereof, in Life Science were not for a lack of trying. The reality is that I'm not a Science guy. I never was. Sure High School Biology was interesting. Yes, I was great at Calculus. But Chemistry and Physics absolutely didn't (and still don't) rock my world. Further, I just couldn't see myself doing anything substantial with a Science degree. 

You can check out the World
Politics website here:
World Politics

Instead, what struck my passion was one of the most unique classes that I have ever been involved with. I will never forget my Grade 12 World Politics course with Mr. Melnyk (shoutout to Markian). In the first month, the class was divided into pairs, and each pair represented a country or international organization in today’s world system. I was really close with Melnyk and I think he wanted to throw me a curveball, so he assigned me and my partner Ruba to represent Iran.  Even though I was born and raised in Canada and have never stepped foot in my ‘mother land’, I speak the language fluently and have a strong connection to my Iranian heritage, so naturally, I was extremely excited to take on the challenge. 

I was charged with the task of filling in the shoes of the controversial Iranian President which I’m sure we all know is not an easy feat. I was bombarded on the first day of the country simulation by the representatives of Israel, the United States, the UN, and any other country that wanted to get in on the action. What followed was a night of research and speech writing into the late hours of the morning – to this day I never actually feel like I was doing an assignment or homework. The next day, I came in, withstood continued attacks against the policies of my virtual country (with the help of Ruba – she was a great VP) and annihilated the competition. Iran eventually “won” the country simulation by achieving the most goals of any coutnry. I was rewarded with the top mark in the class (and please, let me brag about this especially considering my mark in Chemistry). What followed was a realization that I was extremely interested in something that I never thought I would be interested in. Anyway, I’ve never really said this, but a huge thank you to Melnyk for putting me in this position – I bet even you didn’t think it would have had this much of an effect on me!

Anyway, what’s my point?  My point is that I came into my first year of undergrad as a Life Science student who was suppressing his true passions in hopes of becoming a Doctor or something along those lines. Eventually I found my way through undergrad and I’m now enrolled in law school beginning this coming Fall. 

I hope that this blog will make sense of my journey to any onlooker, my friends and my family. But more importantly, I hope that my blog will one day serves as an inspiration or a resource for somebody who is as uncertain as I was when I began my undergrad. If you want to go to law school, believe you have it in you, but know that your grades will paint a different picture, I have been (and still am) there, and I hope my story can help you. Or if you have continually been told “don’t worry you’ll figure out what you want to do with your life” yet still have no idea how to figure it out, I’ll tell you what I did to help facilitate my “figuring out” process. 

My time at the University of Toronto was by far the best time of my life. As I prepare for law school, I will pass on the little tidbits of information I learn along the way. Throughout the summer I will update you on the nitpicky, but definitely crucial, aspects of moving to another city for law school. And throughout the course of the next three years and beyond, I hope to check-in and let you know how I’m going. 

So please, read my blog. I’ll owe you a favour one day.