education. The types of arrows indicate the general frequency with which people will follow a certain pathway. Thus it will be common after high school for individuals to enter the workforce or go to university. But as time goes on for the university student or as he or she progresses through each year, the chances that the student will enter the workforce will diminish until he or she completes a degree, when again it will be very likely that the student will enter the workforce or, less likely, a job training school (e.g., a community college). With a university degree other options are open as well. Although it is not common for students to pursue a Master’s degree, those who do get a Master’s frequently continue towards a Ph.D. This general picture will give you some idea of how your options change as you progress through university.
The registrar’s office at your university will be able to provide information about the exact requirements for professional schools and about the job possibilities after you graduate in various areas. After three years at university you may be admitted to teachers college, but your chances are better if you apply after you have completed your four-year university degree. Also remember that your chance of getting into any professional school or into a teachers college is going to depend on your grades, not simply on the fact that it is common for students to be admitted to medical schools after two or more years at university or to teacher training after they have obtained their Bachelor’s degree.
While Figure 1.1 gives the general pathways that can be taken towards specific goals and the general frequency with which I perceive that students take each path, it will not always be accurate. Thus, in specific instances this chart may be incorrect. Therefore you should check out the prerequisites for the particular program or training that you have in mind and use this chart only as a general guide. So if you have specific goals, find out what the requirements are for that job or professional activity.
By keeping your courses general you make sure that you have the prerequisites if you do decide to switch your program later. Most advanced courses at university have prerequisites at the first-year level. Look over all areas of the university curriculum in your calendar to determine what prerequisites you might need. (There are also academic counsellors who can help you.) Then you won’t find that you can’t take a certain course in third year because you don’t have the first-year or second-year prerequisite. Some professional schools desire certain courses. Find out what they are because taking them may enhance your chance of acceptance. Then fit these courses into a more general program that will protect your future if you are not accepted.
Did You Know?
Most students consider a university degree in terms of its use in getting a good job rather as an avenue for intellectual growth and learning. This job-oriented approach results in poor study habits, negative attitudes in class and poor course performance.5
Next, try to fit in the courses that suit your interests. It is important to take courses related to your area of interest. In fact, you generally will find that you do best in such courses because when you enjoy the material learning is easier. However, by including diverse courses you will discover that you are more marketable than the person restricted to one area of interest. For your overall survival it would be smart to take some English and/or French, which will enhance your ability to communicate with others. However, the final selection of courses rests with you.
The Big Hurdle
If you study this book and successfully complete your first year at university, you will pass each subsequent year and with each year your marks will get better. But you’ll have to continue to follow the rules.
What is the big hurdle? It’s your first year at university. This is the biggest challenge of all and for many reasons. The major one is freedom. Believe it or not, freedom is bad. Well, at least it can be for many first-year university students.
Why? They don’t know how to handle their newfound freedom. It’s too much for them; it’s overwhelming. There’s no one to tell you what to do or when to do it. There will be lots of assignments to do, but no one is going to check to see if you are doing your work. If you get a zero on your work, no one is going to worry. That’s your problem. If you don’t use your freedom properly, you will be one of the multitudes of first-year students who, as the end of their first academic year approaches, wonder where the time went. A simple question will form in your mind: “Why didn’t I study a little harder?” Sometimes studying seems painful, but it’s more painful to get poor grades or to have to repeat a year’s work.
Attendance is not taken at lectures. Usually attendance is not taken at tutorials or laboratories either except when, because of the expense of operating such facilities, attendance is compulsory so that materials are not wasted. As a rule, though, no one will know or care whether you show or don’t show at your classes.
When I say “Don’t care,” I should qualify that statement. Your teachers care as much as you do. But you are an adult (contrary to what your parents might argue!) and you are only one of a large number of students at the university. Therefore you will be expected to take responsibility for yourself.
There are lots of time-wasters. I won’t list them now. First, I don’t want to give you new ideas about how to waste your time; that’s not the function of this book. Second, there are some real time-wasting pitfalls that should, or more correctly, must be avoided. These will be discussed in Chapter 12.
If you decide to live in residence, you will face the maximum number of these pitfalls. There always seems to be a party going on somewhere in the residence. If you are a social type you might find yourself being asked to go to a lot of these. I won’t say don’t go. What I will say is this: Go only if you have time. Have you done all your work? Do you have an early class the next day? If you respond yes and no, in that order, then go. We’ll deal with time wasting again later on, but now let’s look a little harder at living in residence.
Living in Residence
Yes, living in residence can provide the road to a fantastic social life. That road can be dangerous, but it need not be so. The great benefit of residence is that it places you very close to university facilities. You won’t have to waste a lot of time commuting. This will give you more time to devote to your studies and your social life. By not being a commuter, you will be living in a community of students with the same goal as you—getting a university degree. You will develop friendships that will likely last longer than the three or four years you spend at university—perhaps a lifetime. But you will have to remind yourself continually that the reason for your stint in residence is to succeed at university, not just to have a good time. Like real butterflies, social butterflies don’t last very long.
Developing good relationships with other students in residence will provide a valuable aid to your success. If you need some information, notes or other data for your studies, it will never be more than a short walk away. This will maximize the time you can devote to your work.
Most universities have some residences and some can accommodate a large number of students. They will range in structure from multi-roomed townhouses where you and your housemates will share cooking, cleaning and other household duties to bedrooms in high-rise towers where you will live like a guest in a hotel with linen provided and meals served in the dormitory dining room. Sometimes you will have a choice of accommodation, but more often you won’t. Depending upon availability, you
