First Assignment- Blog to new students- 2019
Trust
me, you are in good hands.
Author:
vdshah1@myseneca.ca
I still
remember the date when I entered Seneca college for the very first time as a
new student and the date was 07/01/2019. I was just as excited and nervous as
you guys are now probably before attending the college for the very first time
and these feelings are justifiable as you would be entering a whole new world
and if you are an international student (I’m an international student too) it’s
a completely different experience from our conventional colleges which we have
attended in our respective countries. On the very first day, you are greeted by
the lovely Seneca staff members who are part of Seneca student federation and
they are the reason why the transition to Seneca college for all the new
students becomes easier. So, trust me, you are in good hands by choosing Seneca
for your studies.
Now I
understand, each one of you comes from a different background, be it
educational, work, or religious due to which the first day of college might
seem too overwhelming to you, it was overwhelming for me too. I remember
speaking to few of my friends from the same course about this and they all had
the same feeling on the first day of college. Some of my friends, including me
worked for 2-4 years straight back in our respective countries and then we left
our jobs to come study here as we wanted to enhance the knowledge we already
have. However, it was difficult for us to leave our family and the country we
grew up in and start a new life in Canada, but it was only a matter of time as we
all met so many new people coming from similar backgrounds and we found solace
and comfort in each other due to which clearing the first semester was like a
cake walk.
But you
cannot really expect to form a group on the first day itself, that’s when the
college orientation comes into picture which happens two or three days before
the actual classes start (I met so many of my friends during the orientation). The
staff members at Seneca discussed everything under the roof which a new student
would require for their easy transition to the college and the country (if you
are an international student) and the tips given by them helps me even now.
During the
orientation, they discuss about the various services provided to the students
in the campus like the student insurance, student discounts, library services,
IT services, shuttle services which makes you feel like you made the right
decision about choosing this college. Apart from the services, they also
discuss about the various facilities which they have in each of the campuses
like gymnasium, the kickback room (my favorite place) where you could just sit
with your friends and discuss about your day or the assignments which you have
to complete (to be honest, people mostly discuss about the assignments) or just
play some games in the kick-back area- they have games like foosball (again my
favorite), PS3-PS4, table tennis and some arcade games, all that is missing is
a snooker table which I’m pretty sure will be installed soon in the kickback
area. They also have a lovely cafeteria to make sure you don’t stay hungry in
between classes. One thing is for sure, you will fall in love with the campus
and the facilities provided on the very first day itself.
Okay now
let’s talk about some serious stuff, because its not all fun and games at Seneca.
Apart from the facilities and the services, Seneca is also known for its
quality of education which is one of the best in this country. So, it’s only
natural that the professors in this college expect us to excel in all the
subjects and to complete the assignments on time. Completing the assignments
before the deadline and following the guidelines to complete the assignments is
something which a lot of students struggle with. I remember struggling with my
assignments during the first few days of my classes as it was all new to me and
there were so many questions in my head regarding the assignments. But with
constant support from both the professors and my mentors, I was able to
complete my assignments on time and I still do.
I would
like to share a few tips with you guys regarding the assignments:
- 1. Make sure you go through all the details of the assignment requirements at least twice to understand it correctly
- 2. Do get in touch with your professors during the class, after the class or via email, text to get some clarity on the assignments
- 3. Waste no time to start the research for your assignment, I would advise you to start the research at least a week in advance for your assignment so that you are ready with your assignment much before the due date
- 4. Do make use of the Seneca library which has so many books for us to refer for our assignments.
I would
also suggest you guys to ask for a mentor from the same course who can help you
with so many things (including tips on how to complete the assignments). These mentors
would usually be your seniors from the same course and they will be guiding you
with the course related information till the time you complete your course (how
awesome is that!).
You could
register for a mentor through Seneca’s SMILE or “Student
Mentoring in Life and Education” (Para 1: What is smile mentoring)
program and the college will be assigning you with a mentor even before your
classes start. Trust me! This is very useful especially for the new students, I
still take guidance from my mentor every now and then.
So, this is all I had to say to all of you. I hope you
will find this read insightful and useful.
Once again, trust me, you guys are in good hands as
the future is here. Right here and Right now.
Congratulations and good luck!
References:
Paragraph 1: What is SMILE
Mentoring? - SMILE or “Student Mentoring in
Life and Education
Image: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seneca@YorkLib8.jpg
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