Professors

6 Tips and Tricks for New College Students

New college student

The toughest thing about starting college is knowing how to make wise choices – critical decision that lead to success. These 6 tips and tricks can help to set you up for a strong first-year experience.

  1. Go to class. There is a reason this is number one. College is an amazing experience, but you can’t stay if you fail your courses. Missing class is one of the worst things you can do. Remember: your ultimate goal is to graduate and get the career you always dreamed of. How are you going to do that if you can’t even make it to class regularly?
  2. Participate in events early on — especially during Orientation. Let’s be honest: not all events aimed at first-year students are super exciting. Tours of the library and silly-sounding mixers may not be your thing. But they connect you to the campus, help you meet people and network, and prepare you for academic success. So roll your eyes if you must, but go.
  3. Take risks. Do things that are outside of your comfort zone. Never participated in a club? Never tried a kind of food that’s available in the cafeteria? Never introduced yourself to a complete stranger? Step outside of your comfort zone and take some risks. You’re going to college to learn new stuff, right?
  4. Learn how to say “no.” This may be one of the most challenging skills to learn when you’re first in school. But saying “yes” to everything that sounds fun, interesting, and exciting will lead you to trouble. Your academics will suffer, your time management will be horrible, and you’ll burn yourself out.
  5. Ask for help before it’s too late. Algonquin is a very welcoming and nurturing place; no one there wants to see you do poorly. If you’re struggling in a class, ask your professor for help or book an appointment with your Student Success Specialist. If you’re having a hard time adjusting, talk to someone in Counseling Services. Fixing a smaller problem is almost always easier than fixing a big one. We are all “Here 2 Help” but you need to self-advocate!
  6. Stay on top of your finances and financial aid. It can be easy to forget that appointment with the Financial Aid Office or that deadline by which you had to submit a simple form. If you let your finances slip, however, you can quickly find yourself in a lot of trouble. Make sure you stick to your budget throughout the semester and be aware of the status of your financial aid.
Here 2 help sign
Remember be proactive, self-advocate and most importantly have fun. Welcome to the School of Business!
What are your tips and tricks for new college students? Do you have any stories about when you were a new student? Please share your thoughts.

 

#ACgradchat on Twitter Gives Marketing Students Plenty of Good Advice!

When Business – Marketing Professor Patti Church put the word out that she was looking for a few alumni to participate in a Twitter chat on Wednesday Januray 16 to provide some career advice to her students, she never expected this type of response.

Within about 45 minutes – slightly over the original time budget of 30 minutes – over 160 tweets were generated between everyone from recent graduates, alumni who attended the College over a dozen years ago, and even President Kent MacDonald! The advice was varied but also gave some great insight into how some of our most successful alumni got to where they are today.

“Embrace and be willing to invest in change,” said Jay Scotland, Morning Meteorologist for CBC National News and Radio Broadcasting graduate. “I invested in more school.” Jay’s advice also mentioned the importance of volunteering, the ability to meet deadlines, and he suggested the soon-to-be graduates job shadow someone in their field…advice which another participant promptly acted upon by asking Jay if they could job shadow him!

William Murray, another participant in the chat who is currently teaching in Business & Tourism on the east coast and graduated from Algonquin College in Hospitality & Tourism in 1996, suggested the students should, “take on a sponge-like attitude around new knowledge & techniques but create your own individual style.” He echoed advice given by Jay and Algonquin College Transfer Student Coordinator Jeremy McQuigge in reinforcing the importance of volunteering, networking, and connecting with new people.

Among the other graduates who participated were Brandon Waselnuk, User Experience Program Manager at IBM, Samantha Hartley, PR & Marketing expert, Jeff Mauler, Hot 89.9 Morning Show Host, Stu “Stuntman Stu” Schwartz, Majic 100 Morning Show Host, Liz Babiak, Social Media Community Officer at Algonquin College, Jason Connell, Digital Recruiter at Algonquin College, and Phil Gaudreau, Communications Officer at Algonquin College (yours truly!). The chat was so popular that it attracted some outside attention from organizations such as United Way Ottawa, the Canadian Public Relations Society Ottawa-Gatineau Chapter, and the International Association of Business Communicators Ottawa, and from Scott Stratten, President of “UnMarketing”.

The feedback from the students was excellent, and it looks like many took the advice to heart as they immediately started reaching out to those participating in the chat! It was a great experience and we hope to have many more sessions in the future.

Phil Gaudreau
Communications Officer, Algonquin College

Exams… the Final Frontier

AlgonquinCollege80

Dave Donaldson, Dean of the School of Business and Kent MacDonald, President of Algonquin College

For the past week, students in the School of Business have lined up anxiously outside of classrooms, lecture halls and the gymnasium to begin 2 – 3 hours of exams on a wide variety of subjects. Writing exams can be a daunting and rewarding experience. Rewarding with that phenomenal rush after the exam as you huddle with classmates and begin to realize how your answers match theirs and that you did better than you expected.

Daunting if the reverse happens during the exam reviews. For some students, it can be even more more so than others. During my MBA studies, one of my classmates was brilliant … in his assignments, group work, case studies but froze during exams. He would sit looking at a blank exam booklet for the entire time and then leave the room, suddenly remembering all the answers. Back then, there were few options. He eventually withdrew from the program and ended his studies.

Things have certainly changed. The Counselling Department at Algonquin College provides workshops and guidance on preparing for exams and dealing with anxiety. The College has a sophisticated process where the Centre for Students with Disabilities, in close co-operation with faculty, provides options for students who need more time or a quieter environment. If my colleague from back then had been an Algonquin student, he would be one of our alumni now.

As the students complete their exams for this semester, and some complete their programs, the faculty begin the arduous task of marking the exams and tabulating final grades. For the next week, professors and staff will be working diligently to make sure grades are recorded in a timely fashion so that students can receive their final results.

Only once this is completed can faculty and staff begin to earn a well deserved break before the beginning of the new term on January 7.

Hopefully, all students did well during the exam period and thanks to their professors and the staff in the School of Business for all their hard work this semester. All deserve a happy and healthy (and relaxing) break. To all who celebrate this holiday season – Season’s Greetings, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Joyeux Noël.

Dean Dave Donaldson
School of Business, Algonquin College

Networking: Get to Know your Profs

Bill Garbarino and Jason Connell

The education you get from your time at college is definitely important, but remember you have other assets to help you get a job at the end of it. Your education is only one piece of the puzzle. Remember that when you graduate, you’ll be competing against hundreds of other new grads for jobs – how do you stand out? You want to make use of everything that’s available to you. One of the most under-used and greatest resources available at college is your faculty.

Your faculty comes from the industry; full-time faculty have usually been in the industry for a number of years, and part-time faculty are still in the industry. What that means is that they know people! They have industry connections that might be hiring or looking for new talent, and are in a position to connect you to those people. They’re also the people who know you best in terms of job skills. They’ve seen you grow and learn and can vouch for your skills and capabilities.

When I was in the Business – Marketing program here at Algonquin, I took advantage of the fact that I wasn’t in a massive lecture hall where the prof didn’t even know my name. I made a conscious effort to get to know my faculty (and it turns out they were pretty awesome people), and get them to know me. That meant participating in class, and talking with them on a break or before/after class. Once I had built up that relationship, my profs would start sending job opportunities my way. In fact, my first internship was sent my way by my program coordinator. That was a great experience for me, and all because I took the time to get to know my faculty.

It doesn’t stop there either. I started as a Student Ambassador doing tours of the college before making my way to my current full-time job. Know how I found out about the tours gig? One of the profs at the college knew I was looking for a job, heard about the Student Ambassador position and let me know about it. That was my stepping-stone to a job I absolutely love, and all because my prof gave me the heads up.

So work hard while you’re at college, do your best and rock your studies, but don’t forget the brilliant people who are teaching you. You never know, you just might have them to thank for a job you love.