Planning & Preparing for Post-Secondary Education

Written by Naba, Grade 10                                                                             Mississauga, Ontario

I would like to share some of things I learned from the Let's Get Talking's 1st year Post-secondary Education Plan & Prepare webinar. Firstly, I learned how the first year in university/college is a lot different, and it has a really unpredictable schedule. Some tips I learned would be to go to orientation and frosh week because it is really helpful, fun, it gives you a chance to meet other students and it's an easy way to learn more about what services are available to you. Another tip I found very helpful was to get a campus map on the phone which is a really easy and convenient way to navigate campus.


Secondly, you should always keep track of your deadlines and note sharing is really important. From my experience being in high school, I believe note taking in fact is really important in high school, and university is 10 times harder than high school so note taking for sure is REALLY important in university/college. Note sharing programs can also be an easier way to share your notes with others.



Image credit:  https://images.app.goo.gl/1egdvnxME8YAHrvo8

Parents have a huge role in university/college. Parents are always there to support you and can help you pick classes. Mothers especially can help keep you on track. Always talk to parents or family if you are stressed, always try getting support. One thing to make sure in high school is to have basic math skills which I am trying to have since there are no calculators allowed in university/college and you also cannot get extra time during tests, so in general you should work on basic math skills. Last tip would be to push yourself, do not rely on lectures.

Finally, university/college is more independent where high school is not. Some adjustments with writing can be frustrating since university/college writing has strict boundaries regarding structure. University/college is more independent and requires you to do more research, and do more reading in order to be able to absorb the necessary materials of courses (self-teach). In conclusion, give yourself a break sometimes and try to maintain a positive mindset towards studying. High school can be a lot different than university/college. It is a big step, so it’s better if you learn more about it now and be sure to go to orientation and frosh week.