Students and faculty members are sharing advice and experience for future first-years on how to start off at Humber College.
For Jasmin Benjamin, a second-year Early Childhood Education student, taking advantage of every opportunity that is offered by the college is essential to living a complete experience at Humber.
At the same time, she said students need also to take into account where they are at in their life.
“Focus on your mental health as well, because as we know balancing assignments, classes, work, and family life can be very tiring,” Benjamin said. “It’s a struggle, and if you need a break, the professors and the faculty are always there to support you.”
She added students should take care of themselves.
“Not everyone is a Superman, everyone operates differently,” Benjamin said. “You should be kind to yourself and do what you need to do in order to succeed.”
Ishan Sharma, a first-year Culinary Management student, said Humber is a great place.
“The professors are very good at what they’re doing,” he said. “I really enjoy my time here.”
Sharma said he loves how the college makes him feel engaged.
“There’s an event every few days, and that’s amazing,” he said. “It’s a great environment to enjoy.”
Sharma said it’s reasonable that international students want to spend time outside the college because “they’re enjoying a different country,” but at the same time, they can have a great experience inside the college itself thanks to what it has to offer.
The downside can be not properly managing the time for completing assignments, he added.
“There are some colleges where you can slack off a bit, but what I’ve experienced so far at Humber is that you must study,” Sharma said.
“If you are enrolled at Humber, you have to study,” he said.
Halyna Nazarowycz, a first-year Pre-Service Firefighter Education and Training student, said her program at Humber has been an amazing experience.
“It’s a lot of fun, and there’s a lot to do,” she said. “It’s very fast-paced, but once you get the hang of it, it’s honestly one of the greatest courses you can take.”
Nazarowycz said although everybody in her program works very hard, students have a great learning experience owing to a mix of theory and practical sessions.
“Everything here prepares you for real life. Everything is perfect, they help out very well,” she said.
“It’s a beautiful school. Everybody is super nice, it’s a very nice environment,” Nazarowycz added referring to the atmosphere at the college.
The food is what she loves the most at Humber, she said.
“The food prepared by the chef students is amazing,” Nazarowycz said. “That’s my favourite part, to be honest. I definitely recommend it.”
When asked what her best memory from her first year at Humber is, Benjamin said some of the people she met along her academic path and who are now “lifelong friends.”
She stressed how “being in a college is like being in a pressure cooker” and the daily struggles can show you how people around react to stress factors.
“That really brings out and shows you who people really are, and that’s where you find your tribe and where you discover what you want out of life,” Benjamin said. “It’s the people that you need that help you become a better person.”
Benjamin said she lives by the saying ‘If you find and do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life’.
“I live by that quote,” she said.
Still, Benjamin suggested that Humber College needs to improve awareness and access to the programs like dental plans, health services, or community and international outreach plans.
Even in her final years, many students are not aware of all the services they can use, she said.
“These services are paid by your tuition, and you need to take advantage of that,” Benjamin said, adding providing a pamphlet with all the different options in the acceptance package or mentioning them in the first classes at the start of the year would help many students.
Thereasa Gordon, a Learning Support Facilitator at the Office of Student Learning Services, said the best advice she can give to new students is to have an open mind on what help is available.
“Never be afraid to ask questions and ask for support,” she said. “Express what you’re going through and there’ll be always someone to point you in the right direction.”
There is a lot of support available to students and a wide variety of resources, but some new students may not be sure where to start, she said.
“There are so many resources and services available that a new student may feel overwhelmed,” Gordon said.
Some of the services provided by the Student Learning Services Department are the Peer Assistance Learning Support and the Math and Writing Centre. Peer Tutoring, Learning Skills Workshops, Writing Support, PASS Program (Peer Assisted Study Sessions) and Note Taking Services are some of the resources available for Humber students,” she said.
“They all have their benefits,” Gordon said. “They all work together to support students and provide a holistic experience.”
The Peer Tutoring is always an option that students should explore when they first enter, she said.
“When you start off a class within the first couple of weeks if you have an idea that you may need a peer tutor to support you in a course, it’s better to get that support early on,” she added.
The Learning Skills Workshops are a combination of life skills that help a student how manage their budget, stress, and time, Gordon said.
“These workshops give students practical skills that they can take away and implement into their academic and personal life,” she said. “After all, they go together, right?”
As well, the Writing Support can help with essays and written projects, especially with Academic Integrity and the APA style, Gordon said.
“Those are top-notch skills that students need to take advantage of because there’s a higher expectation when it comes to avoiding plagiarism in post-secondary environments,” she said.