How to Succeed At University--Canadian Edition. Danton O'Day

do your work and study.

      However, as I’ve mentioned, students typically don’t do very well in their first year at university. For many the freshman experience is a wake-up call that spurs them on to greater success. For others, it’s an academic death knell, causing them to give up and drop out. Others just keep hanging around passing some courses and failing or dropping others. More and more students are falling into that last category. For that reason, as mentioned earlier, the average time it takes for a university student to graduate with a “four-year” Bachelor’s degree is now over five years. In fact, on average, less than 80% of students complete their degrees in five years! But all is not lost. Why? Because simply having the Bachelor’s degree is sufficient for many jobs. Having a degree it shows that you can stick with and complete something. While your marks may not be excellent, you have proven that you are mature enough to face the challenges and finish what you started.

      Having said that, it’s important to note that some jobs and, of course, getting into postgraduate programs require reasonable marks as well as the degree. So, if you’ve been doing poorly in your first couple of years, does that mean these opportunities are lost? Not at all! While you may not be eligible to get into medical school or get accepted to a prestigious school for further studies you have other options. The same goes for getting into that highly regarded company or landing that well-paying job. While your early marks may not be impressive, many companies and post-graduate institutions look at your success in the last ten or so courses that you have taken. Many realize that the first years are the most difficult. If you can improve over time, this demonstrates your growth as an individual. So rather than thinking all is lost, you can refocus your efforts to increase your grades in whatever courses or time you have left. That effort will be repaid with more opportunities for your future.

      Is It Worth the Trouble?

      Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not.

      —Thomas H. Huxley

      Why should I go to university? Is it worth all the hassle to stay in school? Should I go out and get a well-paying job while I’m young instead of wasting three or four years of my life? If you have asked yourself any of these questions, consider the following facts—(1) there are jobs out there for university graduates and (2) the university experience will give you competence in a large number of areas essential for survival in the working world.

      Did You Know?

      The value of a university education is supported by study data. Statistics from 2011 reveal that for people aged 25 to 44, the employment rate for those with a Bachelor’s degree was 84.9% compared to 77.1% for those with only a high school diploma.⁶ Not only are university graduates more employable, they also make higher wages and experience a faster growth in earnings during their careers.⁷ What is the secret? Why are university graduates more employable? It’s not for the obvious reason that they have specialized in a particular area, but instead it appears to be due to their overall acquisition of valuable, transferable skills.

      Your employer can teach you the specific skills that a job requires but cannot give you the broad, general education that you get in university. Your employer cannot take the time, and often doesn’t have the resources, to teach you how to develop your curiosity, imagination or logical thinking. Many students do not realize that their whole curriculum will develop these critical mental skills. It is important for you to take a variety of courses to maximally develop these skills. You should not fall into the trap of taking only job-oriented courses to the exclusion of courses you enjoy. While you carry out your different responsibilities in each course, you will be developing a large number of transferable skills that employers need and want, such as decision making, interacting with others, organizing your time effectively and analyzing, articulating, collecting and synthesizing data.

      The world is changing rapidly. What is unusual today will often be commonplace tomorrow. People who possess a wide range of the above-mentioned transferable skills are generally more able to adapt to these changes than those who have specialized in certain functions that may soon become obsolete.

      As a student, you learn a diversity of skills regardless of your degree focus. Every student ultimately learns to set priorities, develop time management skills and how to listen and respond appropriately. These and other skills that are learned are fundamental to most occupations.

      Many career paths are not obvious, and some occupations may require extra qualifications. Once again, remember to keep your options open—just because you plan to study history doesn’t mean you have to work in a museum or library! By the same token, don’t panic if you think you won’t be able to find a position that matches your qualifications exactly. No matter what degree you hold, you can build a career in many different industries. Take advantage of the skills you acquire at university, not just the technical knowledge. Table 1.1 provides a very small sample of study areas, skills developed and careers to illustrate the diversity of options available.

      As a final note, universities are generally not job-training schools. If you want job training, go to a community college. Many university students never find jobs in the area they studied, but the skills they learn help them succeed in all the jobs they undertake.

      Financing Your Education

      Don’t let your lack of funds or your parents’ poor financial situation prevent you from furthering your education. There are many ways for you to augment your summer earnings to permit you to continue your studies. All universities have special scholarship and bursary programs for first-year students and special student loans are also available. Scholarships are given to incoming students with top grades while bursaries are given to good students on the basis of financial need. If you are a poor student these funds will be inaccessible, but if you maintain good grades they will be available. Since there are lots of needy students who also have excellent marks, competition for bursaries is fierce. Many students select their university on the basis of the total amount of scholarships and bursaries it offers. Similar sources of revenue will help you through successive years at university. Check with the registrar to find out what funds are offered. Some universities offer athletic awards (e.g., Simon Fraser), but this is more common in the United States than in Canada.

      Government assistance in the form of grants, loans, bursaries and scholarships at the federal and provincial levels is also available. For example, all students in Canadian universities, even those with average grades, are eligible for loans through the federally run Canada Student Loans Program. If you apply for a Canada Student Loan, you are also automatically considered for Canada Student Grants. Different Canada Student Grants have different eligibility criteria. Grants provide money that does not have to be paid back. Provincial student loan plans and other financial aid are also available. For more information about these and other financial assistance programs, and for additional postsecondary education financial planning resources, visit the Government of Canada’s CanLearn website: www.canlearn.ca.

      Did You Know?

      One way students save money is by buying used books. Offers of used textbooks for sale are often posted around the university. Websites dedicated to exchanging textbooks, such as www.books4exchange.com, also exist. Before buying a used textbook, check to see if it’s the same edition required for the course; university textbooks undergo frequent revisions. Depending on the amount of new content an older edition