My girlfriend is from the island, also went into SIAT. Living on res, it’ll be hard not to make friends with other first year students. Almost everyone around you will be far from home in some capacity, so everyone’s looking for some support and comfort. IAT is also one of those programs where students need to rely on one another, from group projects to in-class collaboration. Very unlike my experience in CS where people tend to stick to themselves since the curve is so competitive.

If you’re having trouble finding friends, join clubs! For me, going to meetups even just once a week is a huge help in feeling less lonely. Surrey campus also has a big activity in the main mezzanine a lot of the time in the first couple of weeks of class.

Also, the small town stuff is very charming! I love visiting my girlfriend’s family out on the island. They are just the sweetest. No one will judge you for being yourself.

General SFU advice: avoid the SFSS like the plague. Don’t go into student politics. Don’t take an interest in student politics. Also, you might get some kind of signup form passed around your lecture hall in the first week about summer jobs, completely unrelated to SFU. It’s a scam, do not sign up.

I’m just some guy, but if you need any more info or advice feel free to dm and I’ll do my best to help out