Current Humber students and faculty have offered up thoughts on their first-year experience and are giving advice to upcoming first-year students.
Third-year journalism student Nick Seles, reflecting on his first year, says that his first year was quiet. But this was not his first program in post-secondary school as he went to Humber for Film and Television in 2011.
His prior college experience had helped him better prepare for the course load in the journalism program.
“I was kind of used to the post-secondary schedule, grind and demand,” he said.
He tells upcoming first-year students that it is ok to not be sure what they want to do in their future.
“There’s no harm in backing out and reassessing your options,” he said.
When first entering school, keep an open mind, and try new things to see what works, because that’s why you’re at school, he says.
For first-year Media Foundation student Madison Moore, her experience here at Humber has been nothing short of amazing.
“It’s fantastic, the professors here are amazing, and my program is a good general program to get started,” Moore said.
For Moore, the hybrid learning experience has been troubling, saying that it’s easier to get distracted. She says that when learning from home you don’t have the chance for one-on-one interaction with the professors and it is hard to stay focused while taking a class from the comfort of her own home.
Her hopes are that next year’s classes will be all on campus.
Her advice to upcoming first-year students is to create a schedule and stay on top of their work.
She recommends people find a style of work that suits their personality and follow their timeline.
“Everyone is different; take it day-by-day and stick to it,” she said.
For first-year Photography student Kyle Cachia, he says that his first year was a hectic experience but is happy that there is a hybrid learning option.
]“I like that you can do both; you have the option to come in when you need to,” Cachia said. He says that with photography you have a lot more freedom to do your work without having to always be in class.
After almost finishing his first year at Humber, he says that upcoming students need to manage their time better.
“I was terrible the first semester, but now I have learned to write down everything and manage myself more efficiently,” he said.
Pro Writing Skills: Journalism professor Alyson Fortowsky, notices that first-year students usually don’t enter college with the proper writing skills.
“Students that have gone to school in Ontario, one continuous factor is that there doesn’t seem to be as much grammar training in high school,” Fortowsky said.
Her advice for upcoming first-year students is to have proper time management. She often sees students asking for extensions and falling behind in her class.
She recommends that you find software that can help keep you on track. She says she understands that even with this method it is possible to fall behind.
“Sometimes you have to prioritize certain tasks over others and you might miss out on grades, but you must be conscious of that,” she said.
For first-year students, it’s a whole new curriculum that they will be learning so with all the advice given it is important to manage your mental health.
One common piece of advice everyone has given is to make sure you take time for yourself.
“It is important to turn off your phone and computer and go for a walk sometimes,” Seles said.