By Rahul Sharma
Introduction:
Education itself is one of the most personal and crucial decisions which people make to build their career, now in today's world, just getting a conventional education like earning a Bachelor’s Degree is not encouraged enough, people tend to give attention to a person with a Master’s or Post Graduate Diploma holder with multiple specialized and insightful certifications or project work, that means choosing a right University and a well thought after program is not just conditional but most likely mandatory. In this blog, I will share my experience and the time I spent for the last 8 months at the York University School of Continuing Studies as an International student in Canada. This will be extremely insightful and thought-provoking for anyone planning to study in Canada, especially at York University.
As per the data available online, York University ranks 16th in Canada and 362nd in the world for post-secondary education which is prepared by QS World University Rankings, which makes it a mid-tier university in Canada and a low-tier university in the world, now most of the students including myself will look at this ranking or do a general search of university ranking but forget about the details such as this ranking is done primarily for post-secondary education and for York University not for York University School of Continuing Education and believe me once you enter the campus you are bound to see the difference, be in terms of education, diversity, facilities, fees and much more. Now I will answer two of the most important questions that will help you in deciding and making a decision about the York University School of Continuing Studies
Questions and Their Answers
What has my experience been like as a Student at York University School of Continuing Studies?Okay, so this experience that I am sharing with you is quite personal and might depend on person to person but still this will give you an idea and help you in choosing the right university and program for your post-secondary education I would advise you to take my experience as a pinch of salt.
York University School of Continuing Studies Building
(Alt Text: York University School of Continuing Studies building, featuring modern and angular architecture with outdoor benches and street lights on the side in daylight condition)
Believe me when I say this ‘York University and York University School of Continuing Studies are two completely different things’ When this is my second program here in Canada, I did my first program from Fanshawe College which is a Community College in London, Ontario. So, I always wanted to get that University Experience and when I was searching for universities in Canada for post-secondary education, I got my eyes on York University, the campus and lifestyle, cultural diversity, and education quality and everything is top-notch and got me interested, then later that month I applied for the program ‘Digital and Content Marketing’ which is accelerated to 8 months in duration that means it is actually 1-year program as per the Canadian Education Guidelines. But this program was at the York University School of Continuing Studies which got me a bit confused, then when I dug a bit deep, I found that all the programs that will lead you to earn a post-graduate diploma are only available at the School of Continuing Studies which is great for the University in terms of management but it might be devastating for students because now, all the cultural diversity which they have dreamt about is gone, all of there program seats are filled with international students, especially Indian students so being one of them I feel there is zero diversity what so ever, only professors are non-Indian but rest everything is the same as back home. This breaks my heart, as international students pay more than 4 times the amount of tuition fees when compared to domestic students and then they think when they come, the classroom will be diverse but all they see is their own people which is a good and a bad perspective depending on you. So, all of your international exposure dreams might be crushed when you are actually in class, which you can then fulfill by working or going to multiple events and much more
Interior of the SCS Building Classroom and Seating Arrangement
(Alt Text: Two Separate images, one on the left shows the interior of York University School of Continuing Studies with lavish and modern design, featuring glass walls, railings, a staircase, and seating arrangement including long table and chairs, now the one on the right is also showing the interior of the building with classroom number 205, left to it is classroom number 203 and in front are some seats with angular glass windows both images in daylight condition)
I feel this is not only the University’s fault but ours as well because for the University it's easy to manage an entire group of students at once but also potential and future students should be aware of this and then should decide whether this will affect them or not.
Now, let's move towards the brighter side of the School of Continuing Studies and my program, when it comes to the architect and sole design of the SCS building it's mesmerizing, even the quality of the classroom, delivery of education content, and live classes are just awesome. The non-teaching staff like Management, IT, and the Office of the Registrar are super insightful and helpful and in most cases, if you have any problem or difficulties and you just mail them, they will most likely respond within 24-48 hours and provide you the solution online then and there, they are quite approachable and reachable at any time. The university itself is quite huge, it’s a city of its own and it is beautiful, every building which you see, you will stop for a second or so, just to get a glimpse of the architecture, all the facilities which you can think of is available at York University, and it will take you a whole day just to know and remember all the places across the campus.
When it comes to education, specific to SCS and my program ‘Digital and Content Marketing’ unlike the conventional education pattern in which you choose a program then each semester you have a set of courses and you have to take them simultaneously, here at SCS you just have to take 2 courses for the next 2 months so 4 courses per semester which is super easy and less stressful, also this pattern gives you time to actually dig deep into the course, its material and to engage in projects and assignments as compared to the conventional way of education in which you have to mug up course content and then give an exam in the end. Hence, I personally find the SCS teaching method different and more beneficial for students.
Lastly, about the course delivery and teaching staff, every course is delivered in class which is great for in-class engagement and learning but sometimes there are days when it is not advisable to take an in-person class which professors understand and then the class delivery is online via a zoom call, also speaking of professors, especially in SCS, I have met one of the most understanding, approachable, engaging and experienced teaching staff here at York. There are times when we are not able to join the in-person class and we can mail our professor and most of the time they decide to take it online, when there are some issues with grade release then we can directly mail them for our grades, in-class engagement actually gives you time to think and be creative, professors know how to deliver course content, to get the class engaged which is not available even in some top-tier universities and colleges. When it comes to the class schedule it is set and will not change throughout the program, classes are from Monday to Thursday and are 3 hours in duration, so they are not boring and students do not have to check each time for updated course schedule whenever the courses are completed, this again is super student-friendly and less stressful.
What advice do I have for future students?I will be blunt in this one, education is not a membership of 3-6 months but it will decide your career, lifestyle, and future goals, in a nutshell, it will decide and build your life. It is extremely important especially by today's standards when getting a job is a hustle, this advice will be specific to international students as they are not familiar with the Canadian Education and Job Market, if you are a person who wants to experience studying in a university, want huge campus, all the facilities and convenience then York University might be the one for you but if you can compromise on certain criteria such as less to zero cultural diversity, then and only then I would suggest coming to York University School of Continuing Studies, rest everything is similar to York University itself. If you are planning to come to Canada, then planning to work in the US or Europe I would suggest going for a different University because York’s reputation is not that great among Canadians, but if you are planning to work in Canada then York might just fit in. Overall if given a chance to back when I was deciding my next education institution, I would prefer York University SCS because of my lifestyle, my work, and much more since SCS gives you flexibility and peace of mind which most universities do not even offer as an option.
Beautiful Sunset just outside the SCS Building
(Alt Text: Sunset over the York University campus just outside of the SCS building with silhouettes of building and bare trees with light snow)
Conclusion:
The University offers an amazing experience that is more practical than theoretical, it will surely help you in looking at your career goals more professionally and will give you a reality check about the industry and market. Lastly, I have not included my first-day experience and many things because that’s extremely general and I do not want to waste your time, all the information that I have shared is extremely insightful and will surely provoke you to think again and decide whether you should come to York University School of Continuing Studies or not.