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Resources and Tips to Make Your College or University Life Easier

  • Writer: SOS
    SOS
  • Sep 8, 2019
  • 6 min read

*No specific institution was the focus of this article. The details included here are insights from current university students*



Introduction


Your first year of college or university might be the scariest, but there are plenty of ways to prepare yourself for the change of scenery, change in workload, and change in lifestyle. Check out helpful resources and tips from current and previous students below! These resources and tips are mainly for first year students, but can apply to students from any and all years!



Useful Resources

  • Resources to Help You Ace your Classes

  • Resources Made for International Students

  • Resources for Life Outside of Class

  • Money Saving Resources

Tips from Current and Previous Students


*Glossary located at end of article*


Useful Resources


Resources to Help You Ace Your Classes


Study Groups and Study Hubs:


Many institutions offer school recognized study groups for your classes. These groups are a great way to meet other students, make new friends, review class material, and prep for your tests and assignments. If you are looking to join one of the recognized study groups for your course, speak to your professor or visit/email your course faculty or student union.


Study hubs are similar to study groups, but are not course specific. Any student from any course can attend a study hub. These peer-run hubs are basically just study sessions where like-minded students can find a safe space to study. The hubs help students who struggle with focus and procrastination, time management, and goal setting: they provide a supportive community where quiet and welcoming spaces allow students to complete readings, work on assignments, and prepare for tests and exams. If you are looking to join one of your institution’s study hubs, contact an academic counselor, check your student union's newsletter or visit/email your faculty or student union.


Exam-Aids:


Students Offering Support runs Exam-Aid sessions at 25+ colleges and universities across Canada. Our Exam-Aids are three-hour group review sessions that occur prior to a midterm or final test. Each session is taught by a student volunteer with exceptional communication skills, who has previously excelled in that particular course. They will take you over the material covered on the upcoming exam through a fun, and interactive session, full of relevant examples and opportunities for questions. Afterwards, you’ll get a take-home package to help you ace your upcoming exam!


Some of the benefits of attending an Exam-Aid include:


  • Access to Take Home Study Packages and digital recordings of sessions.

  • Asking questions in a judgement free zone to clarify your doubts.

  • Our Tutors will help you find the right mental state to overcome anxiety and stress during exam season.

  • Our sessions guarantee to leave you prepared and confident to ace your next exam.

  • Services are generally focused on pre-requisite courses such as Sciences and Business.


Read more about our Exam-Aids and find those taking place at your campus here:


https://studentsofferingsupport.ca/exam-aids/


Accommodations:


Students with learning disabilities, mental illness (ex. anxiety, depression) or special circumstances can benefit from academic accommodations. Speak with your institution’s academic adviser or registrar to learn more about the accommodation programs offered at your school and the eligibility requirements.


Some of the benefits of academic accommodations include:


  • Access to course notes from volunteer note-takers

  • Access to your institution’s testing center - Testing centers often offer quiet test-writing spaces for students who have difficulty concentrating and increased writing times for students registered with accommodations.

  • Counselling services

  • Dismissal of missed classes (within reason, and for a good reason)



Resources Made for International Students


Here are some articles on immigration FAQs, recent immigration policy changes, post graduation work permits, and immigration landmines - written especially for international students by an immigration law firm:






There’s even a great webinar created by the law firm that takes you through all the topics listed above:



Check out our directory for more great resources! The directory button is on our main page.



Resources for Life Outside of Class


Student Life Network:


Student Life Network is a resource hub for all things school. The network helps you improve your grades, find the right school, reduce your debt, and line up your dream job. They also run contests like the Canada’s Luckiest Student contest, which includes a $50,000 prize bundle for the winner and tons of great perks and free memberships - to apps like Spotify - for those who join in. Their website includes helpful blogs, concert ticket giveaways, and tons of student deals – go check it out now!




Money Saving Resources


Textbook Costs:


Textbooks can be extremely expensive. Find some tips on cutting textbook costs below:


  1. Get your textbooks used or rent them from your institution’s bookstore

  2. Buy your textbook second-hand from a previous student - Join textbook exchange and for-sale Facebook groups associated with your institution to find these

  3. Buying an online version of your textbook is often cheaper than buying the physical version

  4. Amazon often offers textbooks for cheaper prices than your institution’s bookstore

  5. Some textbooks can be found for free online by googling the following:

  • “[name of textbook] free pdf"

  • “[name of textbook] google drive”


Scholarships:


Below are some great resources for finding the right Canadian scholarship for you:








Opting Out of Fees:


If you already have your own health and dental coverage, you can opt-out of your school’s plan by providing proof of your existing coverage. You will then be reimbursed for the health and dental plan fee that your institution charged.


You can also opt-out of some incidental fees. However, opting out of some fees can affect your access to certain resources associated with those fees. Before opting-out, make sure to read about the use of each incidental fee and its associated resource carefully.


Tips from Current and Previous Students


DO NOT plan any vacations or trips before you get your exam schedule!


Your institution will not make any exceptions or schedule a re-test for you, if you miss your exam for any reason other than illness or accident.


Join all of the school related Facebook groups that you can!


Find groups to join by searching your institutions full name and its abbreviated form in the Facebook search bar under the ‘Groups” heading.


Joining these groups will help you stay posted on networking, campus and extracurricular events. These groups are also great places to post questions and connect with students from your classes.


Make a LinkedIn Profile


Make a LinkedIn profile and visit your school’s career counselling center for tips on how to improve and perfect your profile. Use your LinkedIn to connect with classmates, professors, TA’s and those you meet at networking events – this will open doors for you in the future!


It’s okay to not do well


Your first year of college or university will be a rough learning experience, as you learn to acclimatize, not only to a new city, but to a new set of learning expectations, as well. The first two years of college or university are meant to be hard – they will help you learn what your strengths and weaknesses are and how you can use them to your advantage. Making mistakes is more than okay, as long as you take the time to learn from them!


Check out the sites below for more great tips on how to succeed during your first year:









Glossary


Professor – A teacher of the highest rank in a college or university.


Study Session – A period of time during which two or more persons meet to pursue a particular activity.


Academic Counselor/Adviser – An academic adviser is a type of counselor who works with students usually at the college level. They are the ones responsible for helping students choose a major and a minor and ensuring that they meet all the requirements to graduate with a major in that field.


Registrar – An official in a college or university who is responsible for keeping student records.


Incidental Fees – A fee used to make up for a budget shortfall or to fund particular projects. Incidental fees are often associated with college tuition expenses and are used to pay for services other than instruction. The small fee is levied on students and is collected along with tuition.


Faculty – A group of university departments concerned with a major division of knowledge.


LinkedIn – A social networking website designed for business professionals. It allows you to share work-related information with other users and keep an online list of professional contacts.


Student Union – The students' union is the students' organization in a university or college which organizes leisure activities, provides welfare services, and represents students' political interests. It is also the building where the students' union organization has its offices, and which usually has a shop, a coffee bar, and a meeting place.


Googling - To search for information about (someone or something) on the Internet using the search engine Google.



-Rebecca Geylikman



Life as an international student offers exciting new experiences. But, this transitional period of change can also present a significant challenge for even the most talented and well-supported of students. Our guide helps international students learn the skills, knowledge, resources and where to find them to transition more easily, as they begin the next stage of their educational journey. The International Student Guide provides blogs, videos and a resource directory that students can use to navigate their Canadian transition experience; from pre-arrival to post-graduation job hunting - based on the experience of current Canadian post-secondary students.


 
 
 

Testimonials from Current and Past International Students

  • Writer: SOS
    SOS
  • Aug 22, 2019
  • 3 min read

Updated: Sep 9, 2019

*During the summer of 2019, SOS invited international students to participate in a survey detailing their experience transitioning to life in Canada. This post is based on that survey*




Introduction

Have you read all of our blogs and are still hungry for more advice? Want to hear from students who have had the first-hand international student experience? Look no further!

This blog post is divided into sections based on the questions we asked international students in our survey.


*Glossary located at end of article*




What resources have you used to support your transition to Canada?

  • 41.7% of respondents said they used educational agents to support their transition to Canada.

  • 25% of respondents said they used their institution’s writing center to support their transition to Canada.

  • 25% of respondents said they used their institution’s peer support program to support their transition to Canada.

  • 58.3% of respondents said they used their institution’s international student orientation to support their transition to Canada.

  • 33.3% of respondents said they used their institution’s student clubs to support their transition to Canada.

  • 33.3% of respondents said they used their institution’s ESL language lessons to support their transition to Canada.



Are there other resources that have been helpful to your transition?

  • “Helpful understanding Professors.”

  • “Student Success Center”

  • “Prof office hours”

  • “Facebook groups”

  • “Student counseling”

  • “Guided tours on campus”

  • “JSA (Japanese Student Association) at my university offered me a lot of opportunities and resources. I am one of the co-presidents of JSA currently, and I would like JSA to be a helpful resource for new Japanese students upon transitioning to university.”


How well supported have you felt by your College/University, to make the transition to academic life in Canada?

  • 7.1% of respondents felt barely supported by their institution, in making the transition to academic life in Canada.

  • 57.1% of respondents felt slightly supported by their institution, in making the transition to academic life in Canada.

  • 35.7% of respondents felt that they were supported about half as much as they should be, by their institution.

  • **about 50% of respondents listed “lack of awareness” as a factor that prevented them from making use of further resources > Check out our directory of compiled resources for international students!



What do you think future international students should know before their arrival to Canada about each of the following?


Canadian Classroom Culture

  • “Being open and relaxed. Understanding that you will be wrong and that's perfectly alright. That your input is critical, and that education needs to be given respect. Also, it’s about having fun.”

  • “They should wait for their turn to discuss. Active participation in class discussions is a must.”

  • “No one cares if you come or not, but you need to attend lectures for yourself.”

  • “It would be beneficial for them to know that classroom culture is more relaxed, that they will be expected to do the majority of work on their own, the testing style, how to approach studying for midterms and tests if they have come from a different kind of education system.”


Learning the English language


Immigration Support

  • ‘HAVE LOTS OF IT. There is a lot of confusing info about work hours, permits and jobs.”

  • “They take a long time to be processed so start applications and get support very early.”


Lifestyle Changes

  • “Be prepared for the winter.”

  • “Be polite all the time!!”

  • “Making friends will help everything.”

  • “Make healthy choices.”


Which institutions did our respondents attend?



















What countries do our respondents call home?




Glossary of Terms

  • Classroom Culture – Critical features of classroom life that characterize its educational “personality”.

  • Survey – a research method used for collecting data from a pre-defined group of respondents to gain information and insights on various topics of interest.

  • Respondent - a person who replies to something, especially one supplying information for a questionnaire or responding to an advertisement or survey.



-Rebecca Geylikman




Life as an international student offers exciting new experiences. But, this transitional period of change can also present a significant challenge for even the most talented and well-supported of students. Our guide helps international students learn the skills, knowledge, resources and where to find them to transition more easily, as they begin the next stage of their educational journey. The International Student Guide provides blogs, videos and a resource directory that students can use to navigate their Canadian transition experience; from pre-arrival to post-graduation job hunting - based on the experience of current Canadian post-secondary students.


 
 
 

Lifestyle

  • Writer: SOS
    SOS
  • Aug 22, 2019
  • 2 min read

Updated: Sep 8, 2019



Introduction


This short blog posts highlights the importance of balance in your post-secondary life and provides tips and links on some ideas to explore.


Importance of a balance:


While school is likely your top priority, it is important to also balance it with an active social life. All school, all the time, can get overwhelming and can lead to burn-out and negatively impacting your academic career. Therefore, practicing a balanced lifestyle is important. This means exploring your city, exploring your campus, and hanging out with friends. However, in order to be able to balance your social life with your academic, you need to plan ahead to make sure you are not sacrificing your academics for your social (the importance of this, along with tips are highlighted in our Class Management post). As an international student, a large part of your experience is to explore the lifestyle of the country you are in. As such, expand your horizons to try new activities, new foods and make new friends.


Here are some tips on keeping a balance with your academic and social life:


Homesickness:


As an international student, it is likely at some point or another you will experience homesickness. This is completely normal, however, it is important to counter your feelings of homesickness! Otherwise, it can prevent you from fully enjoying your university experience and it can also interfere with your academics.


Below are some tips on how to reduce homesickness:


Self-care:


While it is important to put yourself out there, spend time with friends and explore, it is equally important to have some time to yourself and practice self-care. Self-care can be something simple as getting 8 hours of sleep to treating yourself once in a while to something nice.


Below are some tips on how to practice self-care:


Explore Your New City:



A great way to counter homesickness or pass time during the holidays is to explore your new city! Join your International Student Association at your school to meet fellow international students. During the holidays, gather some friends and go on a short trip. Your trips don't have to be extravagant, typically cities have holiday events and some are even free! Do a quick Google search to find things to do for example “Things to do in Toronto this Christmas” or “Top 10 things to do in Kingston”. Weekend trips are also a great idea! Again, do a quick search “Things to do in Toronto this weekend”. Narcity and Tripadvisor typically have great posts. Once you have chosen what you would like to do, do a quick search on Groupon to see if there are any discounts available!


Here are some examples to get you started:


-Alishah Pirani




Life as an international student offers exciting new experiences. But, this transitional period of change can also present a significant challenge for even the most talented and well-supported of students. Our guide helps international students learn the skills, knowledge, resources and where to find them to transition more easily, as they begin the next stage of their educational journey. The International Student Guide provides blogs, videos and a resource directory that students can use to navigate their Canadian transition experience; from pre-arrival to post-graduation job hunting - based on the experience of current Canadian post-secondary students.




 
 
 
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