Month: October 2021

5 reasons to register for the Fall Open House

It’s that time of year! Time to think about where you want to pursue your post-secondary education and check out various colleges to see what is the best fit for you. This year we are back again with our Virtual Open House which offers prospective students a chance to attend a live event from the comfort of wherever you’re located in the world. This great event allows you to ask questions, meet professors, students, and coordinators, as well as get a feel for the AC community. If that alone isn’t enough to convince you to register for our upcoming open house check out these five reasons why we think you should attend!

1)Learn How to Apply

Applying to college can be challenging or disorienting, but don’t worry, we have you covered. During the AC Open House, recruitment officers will be demonstrating how to navigate the Ontario Colleges application process and will be available to answer any questions you may have about applying to Algonquin College.

2)Talk Money & Admissions

Do you have money on the mind? Representatives from Financial Aid, Admissions, and other Student Support Services will be running a session to answer all your questions about paying for school, what kind of supports are in place, and what the process is like to becoming an AC Student. This is a great chance to connect and get all the answers to those pesky financial questions.

3)All Your Questions Answered in One Evening

Instead of having to set up multiple meetings with representatives from each area of the College to get your questions answered you can just attend the Open House! Representatives from a wide variety of areas will be available to speak with you directly, all in one convenient virtual space. It’s a “one-stop shop to talk directly to representatives from all of our programs, services and student life” says Recruitment Officer, Erik Franz.

4)Meet Faculty, Students, and Representatives from your Program of Interest

Want to learn more about specific programs? Representatives with first-hand knowledge of the programs will be available to answer all your questions. Want to check out several different programs? It’s easy through our Virtual Open House to jump back and forth between sessions to learn everything you want to know to make an educated choice for your future.

5)Learn about the College Experience

Whether your program is online, hybrid, remote, or on-campus, we’re still connecting as a college community. Representatives from the Student Association, Clubs, and Athletics will be hosting sessions during the evening about the great opportunities Algonquin College has to offer to make sure we’re all staying connected and maintaining that (school) work – life balance.

Don’t delay! Register for the Open House today!

How to prepare a great admissions portfolio

We’ve heard that many students are intimidated by portfolios, their requirements and by not knowing exactly what they should do or how to get started. Sometimes students are even opting not to apply to their preferred program because it required a portfolio, and they were overwhelmed by the idea of putting it together. We want to help!

I spoke with ACX Team Member, Julia Pinto, a third-year student in the animation program at Algonquin College and got some advice from her about pulling together a portfolio which will hopefully assuage some of your concerns and help you feel excited and motivated to create your own.

What types of programs require a portfolio?

Typically, arts and design programs are the ones that require a portfolio for the application process. At Algonquin College the Graphic Design, Illustration, Animation, Interior Design, and Interior Decorating programs all require a portfolio. Programs that require a portfolio usually call for demonstrations of understanding of some techniques and practices that are very common in the study of various art fields.

What are the typical portfolio requirements?

Portfolios, whether for a job or for school, showcase your ability to work within constraints; illustrate your process; feature your problem-solving aptitude, your communication skills, and your creativity — not only your raw talent. They help the college determine if you are the right fit & can accomplish the work that you will encounter in your program of study.

1)10 – 15 pieces of original creative work. Originals can include things like pen & ink or pencil drawings, sketches, drafting, collages, as well as photographs of larger mediums (oil, acrylic, watercolour, sculpture, pottery, jewelry, rooms, etc.). Depending on the program it could also include multimedia presentations, sketches of ongoing work showing your ideas, observations and imagination, AutoCAD drawings, hand drafted architectural drawings, artistic photography, graphic design, 3D models layout, typography, painting, drawing, web design, interface design and sketches. Try to include a variety of pieces that will demonstrate your ideas, skills, and interest in a variety of mediums.

2)An at home testing of sorts that is specific to each program. This will basically demonstrate your ability to follow directions, your attention to detail, and your creativity.

3)2-5 optional pieces of your choice. These don’t have to be related to your program but can demonstrate your skills, passions, and ideas. These are pieces you feel proud of and that you can use to show more of your personality and creativity. Aim for showing different things from the requirements. Do you like working with watercolours/ oil/ charcoal/ digital/ photography? Awesome! Maybe that’s a unique thing that can help you stand out from other candidates!

Steps to tackling your portfolio!

1)Check which programs you’re applying to that require portfolios.

2)Make a list of the requirements for the portfolios. If you’re applying to multiple programs and need to compile multiple portfolios see if there are items that you can use for both to cut down on the number of new pieces you need to create or collect.

3)Look up the terms and requirements for your submission pieces and you may not already know. “Some things required in these portfolios may already be known to you and others that may not be, but you don’t need to despair. With organization and planning, you can build a good portfolio in a matter of weeks”.

4)Compile and create your required pieces.

5)Double check all the guidelines for submission, make sure you are not missing anything and are submitting in the desired format so that you can make sure you are considered.

6)Submit it and celebrate!

Advice for unknown techniques!

There are three items that are required in many portfolios: 1. Self portrait 2. Live model drawings 3. Drawings with 1 vanishing point and drawings with 2 vanishing points.

For the self portrait, take a photo of yourself, print it and have it near you while you draw yourself. It is also a good idea to have a mirror around, because depending on the quality of the photo you may find it difficult to draw some parts. With the help of the mirror you can have a better look and see more specific details than if only using a photo.

If you are not able to find a live model session where you live, you can always check out CroquisCafe on YouTube. They have hundreds of high-quality videos of art models for drawing. It’s also a good idea to watch some videos about Gestural Drawing from Proko before starting your own sketches!

Drawings that require perspective are usually one of the things that scare people the most, but it shouldn’t scare you! If you don’t know the first thing about perspective, you can start by watching some videos, like the Perspective Drawing for Beginners from Brad’s Art School on YouTube. Start at the beginning, and in no time you’ll understand the technique and will be able to draw anything that you want with 1, 2 or even 3 vanishing points.

Remember that for portfolios, quality will always be more important than quantity! You can (and you should) draw lots of pieces, but only choose to add in the ones that you really think demonstrates you understand what was asked of you. The portfolio is a way of presenting yourself, so, present the best pieces that you can!

Want more information and to have your questions answered about portfolios at Algonquin College? Check out these upcoming free information sessions.

Your guide to exploring the best of Ottawa in Autumn!

Whether it’s on your own, with a group of friends, on a date, or even with visiting family, there is so much to experience and enjoy in Ottawa during the Fall. Here is a round up of a wide variety of activities that range in price and proximity but that are all wonderful ways to enjoy this fantastic season!

Illustration of an Algonquin College student enjoying fall weather - on a photographic background of a park during a bright fall day with colourfull leaves.

Get into Spooky Season!

Are you a scaredy-cat and like the more wholesome spooky activities? (Me too) Try out Saunders Farm Haunting Season activities! They have pumpkin patches, hedge mazes, hay rides, whimsical play structures, an open-air spooky trail, and lots more. Want to pair spookiness with a tour of Ottawa? Try out one of the great haunted walking tours of the city. Looking for a fun spooky challenge with friends? Book a spook-tacular Escape Room experience. Want to experience 7000 pumpkins artfully carved and crafted? A little drive out of Ottawa will bring you to Pumpkinferno at Upper Canada Village, a “mesmerizing installation of artist-inspired, glowing pumpkins”.

Are you a full-on spooky season, give-me-all-the-scariness kind of person? Well then you’re going to love Fright Fest Nights at Saunders Farm! They have had 30 years to hone their terrifying scary scenes, so be ready for lots of scary fun. Want to delve into the paranormal? The Haunted Walk offers two, five ghost rated (that’s very spooky), paranormal public investigation tours. Explore the Mill of Kintail in Almonte, or head to Cornwall to venture into Historic SDG Jail (aka the Cornwall Jail). Closer to home to can get your fill of scary from The Sawmill at Lansdowne, another great haunted experience put on by the folks at Saunders Farm.

Enjoy tastes of the season.

Fall is another phenomenal season for flavours, fresh produce, fun beverages, and of course tasty treats!

Head over to Hintonburg & Wellington Village and experience some of the great local offerings with the Taste of Wellington West, one of the best Ottawa food festivals. This year they are offering both online and in-person events, and have an array of fun resources to point you to your new favourite tasty treat!

Get fully immersed in the season by going on a pick-your-own experience! Ottawa is central to some stellar offerings, there are a variety of places to choose from to go apple picking or to find yourself the perfect pumpkins.

Don’t forget about your local farmer’s market! Ottawa is home to four Farmers’ Markets, Orleans (Thursdays), Barrhaven (Sundays), Westboro (Saturdays), and Lansdowne (Sundays, Year-Round)!

And finally, while the weather is still agreeable, take advantage of the last of patio season! There are so many local spots to try and many of them offer seasonal dishes or spirits for you to enjoy.

Get active!

Walking and biking around Ottawa is a great way to see the sights and get to know the city at any time of the year. If you’re looking for a few extra fun active things you might enjoy doing this season, we have you covered!

Try out some challenging mountain biking and hiking up at Camp Fortune in Gatineau Park. Head out for a hike on one of the many trails through Ottawa, in the Greenbelt, or in Gatineau Park! Go adventuring in caves or try out the zip-line and high-ropes courses at Arbraska, just 30-minutes outside of Ottawa. Or try something completely unique at Eco-Odyssée’s paddle-boat water maze!

Enjoy the Fall Rhapsody!

Rhapsody
noun
1) an effusively enthusiastic or ecstatic expression of feeling.

I’d say Fall Rhapsody is an accurate description for the amazing changing of seasons and the stunning colours and views that can be found while exploring just over the border in Québec. Don’t have access to a car to get out into Gatineau Park? No worries! The NCC is offering a FREE shuttle to some of the most popular Gatineau Park spots.

While you can go hiking or driving through the Gatineau Hills and other spaces over in Québec, these aren’t the only ways to enjoy the fall foliage. In addition to extensive active offerings, Camp Fortune has an exquisitely scenic chairlift that will take you soaring over the colourful leaves this season.

Whatever you get up to this season make sure to follow all public health guide lines for the places you are visiting.

Algonquin innovates with new programs that will bring unique opportunities  

The past two years have presented many challenges that have changed industries across the globe. As part of this shift, Algonquin is introducing new programs that will offer unique opportunities to students in Canada.

Degrees launching in Fall 2022

Bachelor of Culinary Arts and Food Science (Honours)

This new program will combine food and science, and it is the first of its kind in Ontario. It’s not only about teaching people advanced skills in cooking and baking, but also teaching them food science and food safety.

 “Students will start the program by being introduced to food science, microbiology, culinary arts fundamentals, chemistry and physics. Then continue to develop the link of food safety, food operations, food chemistry, and nutrition, says the program coordinator David Fairbanks.

For Fairbanks, the new program comes at a great time in a sector that continually addresses opportunities, challenges and innovations.

“There is a growing demand and opportunity for our students to engage with and contribute to food product research, processing and development. With the college resources and the diverse agricultural, food service, and food development and processing sector resources that can be found locally, it was an excellent fit to offer the program here,” says Fairbanks.

Bachelor of Business Administration (Trades Management) (Honours)

The four-year business degree will focus on skilled trades and will be offered through a partnership between three colleges in Ontario: Algonquin College, George Brown and Mohawk College.

This new program will be the first-of-its-kind with all instruction being provided remotely and virtually. The degree is intended for people working in the skilled trades sector who are looking to grow their own businesses, take on greater responsibilities in their current work environments, or pursue management careers in medium-to-large organizations.

The online Bachelor of Business Administration (Trades Management) degree will concentrate on business administration, managerial skills, accounting, project management, leadership, marketing, communication and applied research competencies. This theoretical instruction will be combined with 420 hours of structured work experiences (or equivalent), for which students receive credit.

Upon completion, graduates should be able to manage and employ human resources, marketing, finance and accounting aspects of skilled trades business operations, as well as conducting research, executing strategic plans, assessing risk and foster healthy workforce and business growth.

Bachelor of Science (Building Science) (Honours) 

This program is the only Building Science program offered at the Bachelor level in Canada. During the four years of study, students will learn all about how buildings are designed, built, operated and maintained.

For the Program Coordinator Stephen Vardy, the new program offers a unique opportunity for students in Canada. “It fills a large void for an industry that is in need of skilled graduates and prepares students for career opportunities in a wide range of fields related to buildings.”

Some of the skills students will learn in the program include learning how to create a computer model to understand energy performance of a building, designing strategies for energy efficient buildings, learning how to design, constructing and testing building envelopes and much more.

  Students graduating from the program may work in architects’ offices, engineering firms, contracting companies and government agencies and departments as researchers, junior analysts, project officers, building specialists, technical staff, architectural and construction project team leaders and consultants.

Vardy emphasizes that the program content has been chosen with everything the industry is looking for.

“Our industry partners were heavily involved in the program revisions, ensuring our graduates are best suited to meet the needs of an exciting and rapidly evolving industry.”

Degrees Coming soon

Bachelor of Commerce (Strategic Human Resources Management) (Honours)

This new degree is one of the limited Human Resources Management programs offered across Ontario. Program Coordinator Carol Ann Samhaber said that human resource management is an in-demand profession and the degree opportunities in the province are still limited.

“This program, among the suite of our human resource management programs, will ensure students have ample academic choices.”

For Samhaber, human resource management professionals are essential for the success of an organization. The new program will teach students how to consider human resource management through a strategic and organizational wide lens.

“This degree will move students through an HRM business model, stimulations and artificial intelligence, and IT sandboxes to acquire HRM knowledge and skills to be industry-ready,” said Samhaber.

This profession is changing as we see shifts happening inside workplaces, and the program curriculum was created taking those changes into consideration.

“Students will explore the importance of managing human capital in the remote employment and COVID workplace contexts,” said Samhaber.

Graduates of this program will have the opportunity to work as coordinators, generalists or in any specializations inside human resource management.

Bachelor of Event, Sport and Entertainment Management (Honours)

This four-year program will be one of the only dedicated Event Degrees in Canada. Students will get to learn how to create design and execute multi-faceted events. “Event programming topics will include Sports, Concerts, Expositions, Government, Conference, Corporate, Non-Profit and Special Events,” says the Program Coordinator Sylvia Densmore. Global event trends, sustainable and green events will also be part of the curriculum.

For Densmore, the new program will fill an identified gap in the Canadian event industry. Something unique about the program is that students will have a variety of work-integrated learning experiences such as two paid event co-placements.

  “As communities emerge from the pandemic, they will utilize event tourism as a destination marketing tool to attract visitors and boost their economies. Graduates of this program will be uniquely positioned for this challenge,” says Densmore.

Students who take this program will be ready to work in the tourism industry, government sectors, sports organizations, the entertainment and arts sector and much more.

“The combination of academic excellence and experiential learning offered at Algonquin College will ensure graduates are ready to jump into a career in the explosive event industry,” says Densmore.

5 ways you can support student learning and save money!

At AC there are a few unique experiences offered to students and the AC community at a significant discount! On top of saving money, you’re also supporting other students’ learning experiences!

With each of these learning enterprises, students get the chance to develop their hands-on skills in their area of study under the supervision of professionals. All activities are limited by students’ in-class time so make sure to check the hours and make reservations ahead of time.

Dine in at Restaurant International and get 25% off.

Looking for an exceptionally tasty meal at an incredibly reasonable price? Have you tried wonderful Restaurant International? Located in H Building, it’s our very own Culinary Teaching Restaurant on Algonquin College’s Woodroffe Campus! Students from the School Hospitality & Tourism Programs get practical experience, and we get to eat their delicious work. They are open Wednesdays – Fridays between 11:30am – 12:30pm and 5:30 – 6:30pm and Saturdays between 5:30 – 6:30pm serving choose-your-own three-course meals for only $18 for lunch and $20-$27 for dinner. Students get 25% off their meals, so don’t forget to show your student card! Make a reservation today!

Looking for something to take home instead? Grab something at Savoir Faire, across from Connections: The Campus Store, the Culinary Market that offers baked goods, pastries, and pre-made meals. You can place an order for curbside pick-up or stop by to shop in-person from Tuesday to Friday.

Destress with a visit to the Massage Clinic

Need to ease some stress? Or help ease pain and discomfort? For only $35 a student therapist will provide an assessment, treatment, and even education on self-care in an hour-long appointment supervised by Registered Massage Therapists. Appointments are available Monday – Friday for early evening, book your visit today!

Visit the Salon, Spa & Boutique to pamper yourself at student prices.

Who doesn’t love a little trip to the Salon & Spa? Facials, manicures, pedicures, waxing, haircuts, and various other treatments are available for less than half of what you would normally pay for these services! Visit their website for a full listing of services and to make your booking.

The Hair Salon is now open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4 pm – 9 pm and Thursdays from 12:30 pm – 5:30 pm until and including December 16, 2021.

The Spa is open on Thursdays from 1:30 pm – 5:30 pm and Fridays 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm until and including December 17, 2021.

Register with the Dental Clinic for ongoing preventive services.

Dental care is important and this is an affordable way to get access to services to keep you healthy and prevent future problems. Services include: oral examinations; cleaning of teeth, oral hygiene and if prescribed: x-rays and application of fluorides. See their website for a full listing of details, and to start the process of becoming a client.

Do you have small children in your life? AC even has an Early Learning Centre!

The Algonquin College Early Learning Centre Lab School provides high quality, culturally-diverse and inclusive programs licensed under the Ontario Ministry of Education. The ELC provides early learning care for: Infants (6 weeks – 18 months), Toddlers (18-30 months), Preschool (2.5 – 4 years old age) children.

Driven by new public health recommendations and the growing impact of COVID-19 variants of concern, Algonquin College has implemented a mandatory vaccination policy for the Fall 2021 Term. You must adhere to this policy to gain access to any of these on-campus services. Click here for more information.