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  • Covering the Cost of University

    Covering the Cost of University

    University tuition is a huge expense that leaves many students deep in debt by the time they graduate – especially if they choose to live on their own, either in residence or near campus. Income from summer jobs is difficult to stretch out through the school year. That’s why many students work part-time on or near campus to offset the costs of school.

    But even before you begin to peruse employment options, don’t forget to apply for as many scholarships and bursaries you can find for which you are eligible. Search your school’s website for scholarship and bursary information and ask someone at the finance offices for advice. There is often more money available to students through these awards than there are students who apply for them. So don’t let competition dissuade you from applying. You have nothing to lose and money to gain! (Remember that the most important thing to do with any application for scholarships and bursaries is to have someone edit your work before you submit it).

    On-campus jobs provide another fantastic source of income to help you pay for the school year. There are a lot more options for work than you might think! Some students with disabilities, for instance, require extra assistance reading journal articles or writing down their thoughts. Look for a resource centre on your campus and ask if you could be hired to help out. The work, which is government-funded, pays relatively well. Check out your university’s administration offices to see what else may be available and ask all of your professors what they recommend.

    Off-campus jobs are another alternative means to acquire income as you go to school, but there are things to consider before you apply:

    1. How long will it take me to get to and from the job?
    2. Will my boss allow flexibility so that I can prioritize my schoolwork?
    3. Does what I learn at the job compliment my degree?
    4. Can I get something from the job for free that I would otherwise have to pay for, like a gym membership, food or clothes?
    5. Will I be able to manage my time effectively enough to juggle a job and school?

    It may be a good idea to settle into your classes and develop a homework and study routine before you seek employment. Prioritize your goals and decide how much time you need to commit to your education compared how much time you need to spend earning money.

  • Which University is Right for You?

    Which University is Right for You?

    Deciding to go to university is one thing, but deciding which one is another matter altogether. What factors should you consider when evaluating your options?

    Take university rankings with a grain of salt—have a look not only at each school’s reputation, but also what they’re famous for. Many institutions focus their attention on one or two extremely strong programs. Unfortunately, this may mean they neglect other fields. The best thing to do is to choose an overall renowned university (with no defining program), or a university that places a focus on your program. In either case, you ensure you’re getting a good education.

    Regardless of awesome residences or an amazing party scene, when making your choices you have to remember what’s important. The main reason you’re going to university (presumably) is to learn: education should be your priority. Maybe you’ll have a ton of fun at University X—but then again, maybe you’ll achieve your academic goals (and have a better chance of finding a job) with a degree from University Y. Consider that.

    Of course, post-secondary being such a crucial (and expensive) decision, you also want to make sure you’re seeing the issue from all sides. Here are some other factors you can consider when evaluating your options.

    1. Location. Would you prefer to study in a big city or a small “university” town? If your school is close enough to home, commuting may be a cheaper alternative to residence. If your school is far away, consider the adjustments you will have to make (potential homesickness, a new city, and in some cases, even a different culture).

    2. Size. Giant institutions offer some of the most comprehensive resources and talented faculty—but it’s easy to get lost in the crowd. Meanwhile, at tiny schools it seems like everyone knows your name. What’s going to work better for you?

    3. Accommodation. If commuting isn’t an option, where are you going to live? Many universities have different residences (single suites, apartments, etc.), and there are always off-campus options. Residence is an expensive investment, so do your research and make sure your school’s amenities are satisfactory.

    4. Social opportunities. What are you interested in? School is important, but involvement in your school community can be vital to a comprehensive education. (Fortunately, most universities have literally hundreds of clubs and associations, but see what they’re offering anyway.)

    5. Identity. Whether you like it or not, you may come to find you are perceived a certain way because of your university. It’s an unfortunate bias, but you can actually use this to your advantage. Pick a school that will reflect a part of you, and one of which you’d be proud to call yourself a student.

    University research may seem daunting, but you can usually find all of this information on school websites. For a more in-depth look at academics and student life, check out open houses, attend academic sessions, or speak to current students about their experiences.

  • Transition Programs for Students with Disabilities

    Transition Programs for Students with Disabilities

    One of the best ways students can get a sense of what to expect when beginning a post-secondary program is to talk with people who have first-hand experience in such programs. These people may be instructors or administrators at the college or university you plan to attend, or they could be other students who have already made the transition to postsecondary school.

    Transition programs are available in many parts of the country, and offer students the opportunity to gather information on the post-secondary experience. There are also initiatives that assist in the transition from school to work, providing valuable opportunities in a workplace environment. Most of these programs are led by students, professors and others from colleges and universities, and some even give participants the chance to spend time living in campus dormitories. Transition programs other than the ones listed here may be available. Contact your local post-secondary institutions to ask if they offer such opportunities.

    Access information about high school transition programs on the NEADS website.

  • Campus Disability Services

    Campus Disability Services

    If you’re a student with a disability looking at your post-secondary options, we’ve provided a handy link to the NEADS website where you can access information about campus disability services all across Canada.

    NEADS EdLink is the most comprehensive Canadian directory of college and university disability service providers and links to service centre websites, with listings from coast to coast. Each entry provides current contact information for service providers at Canadian post-secondary institutions. The links to disability centre websites allow access to detailed information on accommodations, physical access, services and supports.

    Access the Campus Disability Services search engine via NEADS on their website.

  • University: What to Expect

    University: What to Expect

    Post-secondary education, though an important stage for many people, can be daunting. In high school, you become accustomed to small classes, friends in every course, and teachers who go out of their way to help you succeed—so accustomed that you start to take these things for granted. If you decide to go to university, you’re probably aware by now that things are going to change. The transition to post-secondary is a natural part of growing up, but it’s one adjustment you’re going to have to face head-on.

    Some students (whether by choice or not) move out in their first year of university, because their campus is far away from home or they want to get the residence experience. Regardless of whether you’re living on your own, a resident, or a “commuter” (who gets to school by his/her own means), you may be surprised by your newfound independence. No more bells (or whistles): you are basically let loose in university and given the freedom to make your own choices, a luxury not often afforded to you in high school. Without all those meddling teachers looking over your shoulder all the time, you can roam the university campus, go to all the parties you want, and basically do whatever you like!

    Actually, not quite. Hand-in-hand with independence comes a heavier burden than anything you’ve experienced in high school: responsibility. Sure, you’re free to go to class, or to not go, if you feel like it. You’re free to skip out on that midterm, or leave all your reading for next week. But keep something in mind. You’re paying for your education, and it’s now up to nobody else but you to make sure you keep up. No professor is going to hold your hand and walk you through the semester. Extra help is out there—and so are some amazing opportunities—but now it’s up to you to seek them out. Makes you wish you appreciated those “meddling teachers” while you had them, doesn’t it?

    To be a successful student in university, you have to ensure a balance between your newfound freedom and multitude of obligations. You may find yourself compromising your own desire to go out and play to deal with the workload, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t meet new people, go to events, and join clubs or teams. Weighing independence, responsibility, and the other wonderful traits you’re undoubtedly going to pick up, you start to be able to think for yourself. You start to judge what you personally feel is right or wrong (not necessarily what you’ve been told) and, at some point, you finally establish your identity.

    University is about education. But it’s also about experiencing the world through your own eyes and finally being able to voice your opinions. Take advantage of your undergraduate years and use that voice wisely. Perhaps you’ll learn something about yourself along the way.

  • How to Design Your Class Schedule

    How to Design Your Class Schedule

    In the first seven or eight years of school, choosing what subjects to study is usually fairly easy. The choices are limited and usually the set of required courses, like history or math, take up most of the school day. Later, however, choosing courses becomes an important way to achieve educational and career goals. Learning how to design a good class schedule is the best way to make sure that each year goes as smoothly as possible.

    How much control do you have over the classes you take? You might not have much yet, but that will soon change. In high school, students normally have some options, but the choices are often very limited. When students get to college or university, they usually have much more freedom to choose the courses they want, but they also have the responsibility to monitor their own education.

    Students’ experiences with course choices can vary. Some programs, especially those that lead directly to employment in a certain field, such as nursing, tend to have a large number of required courses that often need to be completed in order. In more general programs, such as the studies leading to an Arts degree, the requirements are much more flexible. In both types of programs, however, students still need to find the best schedule to suit their needs.

    The first step in designing a class schedule is finding out which courses are essential to your goals and which are optional. Finding time for the program’s required courses should be your priority. Often these required courses can be spread out over a few years, but not always. The next courses on your list should be ones that are prerequisites (first requirements) for other courses you want to take. If you want to study German, for example, you should take the introductory courses as soon as possible. Classes that are offered only every two or three years should also be a high priority in case you can’t take them later in your studies.

    After you have selected the required or time-sensitive courses that you want, you can fill your schedule with other classes that interest you. You might even want to consider doing an internship or taking a special one-on-one study course to learn about an area that you think might be useful in the future. You might choose courses taught by an interesting professor, or you might avoid ones that fall either early in the morning or late in the evening. You might design your schedule around your part-time job or choose whatever happens to be available. Using a computer template to help you design your class schedule might help you to fit the courses together into a manageable timetable.

    Before you start to design your course schedule, you should learn as much as you can about your program and decide on your own priorities. That way, you will have the knowledge to plan a schedule that suits your needs while you finish the courses you need to complete your studies.  Happy scheduling!

  • The Difference Between a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree

    The Difference Between a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree

    Many people say that an education is the key to a good job, a high income and a good life. That might not always be true, but earning a bachelor’s or a master’s degree is a good idea for anyone who wants to work in professions like education or law. Sometimes a bachelor’s degree is enough, but sometimes a master’s degree is necessary. How can you know how much education to get? Knowing the difference between a bachelor’s and master’s degree can get you started on making a decision.

    How much education you need for your chosen profession depends very much on what level of work you want to do. A Bachelor of Education, for example, is all that most teachers need to work in the classroom. If they want to work as supervisors or school principals, however, they might need to work towards a master’s degree. In fields like English literature, psychology or sociology, a bachelor’s degree is usually only the first step towards further training and rarely leads directly to a job. In programs such as nursing, however, a bachelor’s degree is considered a high level of education. Each field has somewhat different requirements and job possibilities.

    Despite all of these differences, most bachelor’s or master’s programs have some elements in common. Bachelor’s degrees are general introductions to the field and cover a wide variety of topics. Usually, students in these programs take some classes outside their chosen field, at least in the first year or two. A science student might be required to take an English literature or history class, for example, and an English literature student might be required to take a science class.

    Bachelor’s programs might be three years or four years long. Completing these programs normally involves relatively small assignments like research papers, tests, experiments and exams. Students get the information they need mainly through lectures the professor gives during class and through reading the textbooks and other materials, with an occasional student presentation to give others a chance to teach.

    At the master’s level, things begin to change. Most master’s classes use a seminar style, with students giving longer presentations and participating in discussions on each day’s topic. Class size is usually much smaller than at the bachelor’s level, but the assignments are more difficult. One of the biggest assignments is usually the thesis, which is a long paper of anywhere from about thirty to a hundred pages on a topic that the student chooses. Sometimes students can complete another major assignment instead of a thesis, but both choices involve a lot of work.

    If you find studying and research very difficult, a master’s degree might not be right for you. If your chosen career has few job prospects, you might need to consider your options carefully. However, if you are willing to do a lot of hard work, a bachelor’s or master’s degree might be good choices for you.

  • Creating the Ideal College Schedule

    Creating the Ideal College Schedule

    Creating the ideal schedule can be a key factor to your success in university or college. One of the first questions you should ask yourself is whether you should take day classes or night classes. If you consider yourself a “night owl”, you might assume it would be best to take the majority of your classes in the evening when you’re the most alert. However, keep in mind that if you are taking late classes you’re probably going to have to do your homework in the mornings. Be honest with yourself and consider if you’re actually going to wake up on time to get those essays done. Likewise, our early birds need to do some soul-searching and really ask themselves if they’ll make the effort to rise and shine for those 8:00 am classes. One of the biggest challenges that post-secondary students face is going to class when no one is monitoring their attendance. This becomes even more of a challenge when these classes start before the sun even makes an appearance. A good way to overcome this is to find a friend who also shares the misfortune of rising bright and early. The two of you can make a solemn oath to go to class every day and you can serve as encouragement for one another!

    Another important question to ask yourself when designing a schedule is whether you want to stack your classes one after another or spread them out across the day. Stacking classes is often viewed as the more efficient practice but it also has its downfalls. Most professors will let you out of class ten minutes early to get to your next one but you’ll always have that one who insists on holding you to the very end, or perhaps even longer. Then you’ll find yourself making a mad dash across campus, which will quickly become an issue if your campus is the size of a small island. In that case, spreading your classes out a bit may sound more attractive. The trouble here is that you may then find yourself facing “The Awkward Hour”. This is a chunk of time that is too short to do anything useful but too long to sit around doing nothing. In other words, it’s a waste of time. If you’re a productive person, you might be able to squeeze in a bit of work but most people just lounge around campus, grab a bite to eat or catch up on the latest chapter of their favourite manga.

    If I can leave you with one last piece of advice, it’ll be this: Do not bend yourself backwards for Friday’s off.  If you have to inconvenience yourself throughout the rest of the week, the extra day of freedom may not be worth it. At the very least, have a class or two on Friday instead of piling four or five classes on another day.

    At the end of the day, designing your schedule comes down to weighing the pros and cons of each factor and deciding what works best for you. Very few people can claim to have a perfect schedule so don’t panic if you find yourself in less than ideal circumstances. Simply do your best to create a schedule that maximize your chances of succeeding!

  • Transitioning to University Life

    Transitioning to University Life

    The idea of going off to college or university sends shivers of anxiety down spines and churns stomachs. Don’t worry – this is normal. It’s a big step moving from high school to post-secondary education and its natural to feel a bit nervous.

    There is usually a frosh week for university students or an orientation for those attending college. This can be a great way to meet people around campus or in your program. Post-secondary education is so diverse that making friends is easy, whether it be the person who sits beside you in class, a new roommate or someone you meet on campus.

    Living in residence is another excellent way to make friends and makes the walk to class much easier. Most schools have single rooms as well as doubles so you can be paired with a roommate. The Resident Assistant will help you get integrated into the community with a number of activities in the residence and there is usually a common room with a TV for students to relax in.

    Residence life is not for everyone, though, and there are a number of other options such as off campus housing, driving or commuting via train or bus. There is nothing wrong with choosing to live at home while attending school, either. Living out on your own is exciting but it can get pretty expensive and sometimes its nice to have the comforts of home and your friends and family.

    Post-secondary school is nothing like high school. There is no attendance sheet or principal forcing you to go to class. The professors likely won’t harass you about it so it can be very tempting to skip a class here and there. This can lead to a very slippery slope and you don’t want to find yourself facing an exam sheet without having gone to class. It’s up to you to stay organized and keep on top of your assignments; letting them pile up then dashing them all off the night before is not the best strategy. Most schools use an email and online system so you can use the Internet to keep up to date on assignments, presentations, etc.

    Every college or university has at least a few clubs or teams and activities that provide exercise and entertainment. Most schools will have a free gym for people to lift weights, run on treadmills or play indoor sports. Some schools even have a pool.

    It’s a good idea to learn about your chosen school before beginning in the fall. An excellent way to do this is to check out their websites, do campus tours and speak to anyone you might know that has gone to that school. Ask them about their experiences there.

    Leaving high school marks a major change in life. While post-secondary education certainly has its challenges, they are far outweighed by the lifelong friendships and rewards.

  • How to Pick a School that Works for You

    How to Pick a School that Works for You

    Deciding which post-secondary institution to attend is easily one of the most difficult decisions you may face in your lifetime. If you find yourself scattered and unsure of where to begin, just think of PED: Program, Environment, and Distance. This is a useful technique that can help you organize your thoughts and carefully lay out the important factors.

    Program: The very first thing you should do when picking a school is question whether they have the program that is right for you. A common mistake that students tend to make is to pick a school based on its overall reputation as opposed to the reputation of its programs. A school could be ranked at the top of all the major lists but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re the best for whatever program you intend on enrolling in. If you’re the type of person who refers to ranking lists, make sure these lists are program specific. If you can find a way to do so, talk to students who are actually enrolled in the programs you’re considering and discuss any concerns you may have. They’re likely to be very honest with you and you can get some insider-info that you won’t find in the fancy brochures.

    Environment: Believe it or not, your surroundings can have a major impact on how well you do in university or college. I’m the type of person who needs a refreshing walk when I get stressed so it was important for me to choose a school that had a beautiful campus. For some, old-style traditional buildings and scenic walkways will do the trick. For others, modern buildings and high-tech facilities are a must. Keep in mind that many schools have a good balance of both! Also take a look at the environment outside of the school’s campus and ask yourself if you’d prefer to be located in a big city or something with more of a suburban feel. If you plan on living off campus in upper years, this could be a bit of a deal-breaker for you.

    Distance: One of the most difficult things about going away for school is being away from your family and friends. If you’ve got tight-knit relationships, going too far away from your support system may be too much to handle. And that’s ok. You might not even have to leave home if you’d prefer to commute. However, if you’re determined to leave the nest you should always pause to consider how often you intend to visit home (if at all). If you’re making many trips, things can become quite costly if you live hours away from home. The important thing here is to speak to your parents or guardians and figure out a system that works best for everyone. Before you do this, though, have an honest think-session with yourself and decide what’s most important for you. If independence is key, be prepared to negotiate and do quite a bit of reassuring.

    Each school you consider is bound to have its pros and cons. The best you can do is weigh all of your options and choose a school that you’re most comfortable with. Others may input their opinions but the choice is ultimately yours to make!