Helpful tips from students and faculty for a successful first year

Apr 15, 2023 | JRNL219 - 2023

Some staff and students have shared their thoughts with Humber News on how a new student can enjoy a positive first year, giving advice about social life, keeping grades up, and even helping preparing for life after college.

Sean Isaacs, a student in Humber College’s Fitness and Health Promotion program, said one of the most important things for a first year student is to participate socially.

“Try to get involved with a club or a team, show up for Humber events,” he said.

Isaacs mentioned the importance of participating in class, as well. He said that students should try to get included even if they are shy person, and they should work on forming connections with their peers.

Journalism professor Genelle Levy advised future students about the importance of not limiting themselves.

“A lot of students wonder if they should have a niche. I think niches can be good but you want to try everything, don’t limit yourself,” Levy says.

She added that students should start working on building a portfolio for when they have graduated, even in the first year.

Business Marketing student Hunter Cron spoke about how important it is to keep up with your workload.

“Get things done on deadlines. Do your homework and stay on top of things and you should be good,” he said.

University of Guelph Humber Kinesiology student Ethan Sanders agreed.

“Don’t let things pile up too much. It can be easy to forget about assignments when the deadline is a month away, but then you get other things in between and eventually you might find that you’re trying to dig yourself out of all this work due soon,” he said.

“It’s great to take time to enjoy yourself while you’re here but you just need to remember that the work has to take priority sometimes,” he said/

Cron said it is also a good idea to ask for an extension if you’re overwhelmed.

“You can ask your teachers for extensions. You won’t always get them because some teachers are very strict about it, but some on the other side are very nice about it.”