Agnes Pang, November 2020

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I first started working as a student caller in my second year of university. At that point in time, I was overly stressed about my grades, therefore I was often either at the vet campus attending lectures and practical classes 5 days a week or studying at home with my head buried in a book. My life basically revolved around my academics and I felt very strained. I needed an escape, but I did not know what to do. I needed something that would allow me to forget, despite being momentary, the impeding deadlines and the pressure looming over my head to study, study and study.

It was as if my prayers were heard, I was given an opportunity to work as a student caller at the University for a great cause. Not only was I doing something that was non-academic-related, allowing me to branch out from my very closed-off and constrained life, but at the same time, it was something benefitting students studying here and the University itself, allowing its continual growth and development into a world-class university. Thus, I grabbed onto this chance as fast as I could, and this was when my life as a part-time student caller started.

I have had many pleasant conversations over the phone in the past year. Many alumni treated me like an old friend, chatting away animatedly about their past student life here at the University of Edinburgh. One of the most memorable pieces of advice I have ever received was from a fellow vet. Being a former vet student here, he understood how stressful studying this course was and how hard it is for vet students to find a balance between having a personal life, and academically excel in their vet degree. He knew the hardships and challenges I had to go through, and it felt as if I was talking to a close friend. I remember telling him how I broke down because of homesickness, stress about an upcoming exam and the inability to cope with high expectations I had for myself. He told me it was perfectly okay and normal to feel this way but that I should not let it take control of my life. He told me to not waste my youth and university life worrying and stressing too much about academics, because, as cliché as it sounds, we only live once and have one chance at making our university experience count. When I look back on this, I would only regret not having had enjoyed my teenage years to the fullest while I had the chance to.

Hearing this made me realize how hard I had been on myself for the past year. His words struck me, and I felt as if I was awakened from this study ‘coma’ I was in. He granted me the ability to see life in a whole new perspective and lessened the burden and stress I was dealing with at that time. I could not be more grateful for having been so lucky as to be the one who got to call him. It was then I felt the true essence of being a student caller, bridging the gap between students and the alumni, gaining precious advice and insight into life, developing, and blossoming into better human beings and giving back to the university.

Not being able to chat with alumni over the phone this semester is unfortunate. I definitely miss the feeling of picking up the phone and looking forward to having great, memorable conversations with our alumni and making new friends in the call room. I wholeheartedly hope things will get back to normal soon and that we will be able to converse with our alumni again!

Agnes

November 2020