About Me
My name is Ellie. I'm 26 and a York University's School of Continuing Studies student. I'm so excited to share my SCS experience with you. I began my journey at York University’s School of Continuing Studies (SCS) in January 2024. I enrolled in the Digital and Content Marketing program.
When thinking about my time at SCS, the first thing that comes to mind is the amazing people I’ve met here. When I decided to study in Canada, someone told me, "When you move to a new country, your friends become your family. And your family becomes your friends." Now I get it! It's true! You're miles from your family. Your friends are the ones there for you in whatever you face! The best part of my time at York was the amazing people I met. They supported and cared for me during hard times. York became my second family here in Canada.
York U Community
From the beginning, the sense of community at York SCS was evident. The instructors were not just teachers. They were mentors who truly cared about our progress and well-being. They were always approachable and willing to help.
I say so because recently I have been dealing with a family emergency. My mom fell and shattered her kneecap. She will undergo surgery in a few weeks from the time I am writing this blog. My sister and I are both living abroad. It's a hard time for my mom because she is alone. So, I decided to go back to my country to take care of her for a bit because my sister couldn't make it due to her work commitments.
I discussed this with my two instructors because I was so stressed and will miss the last week of the course. But they kindly understood my situation and let me finish my work early. That way, I can go back to my family without troubling my education. Also, my classmates are so kind, helping me to catch up with everything! This is of great importance to me, and I am thankful.
Everything you need to know about the building
I can't say how much I love the building. It is amazing, with its modern architecture and window walls allowing you to see outside. This design creates a vibrant and open atmosphere. Snowflakes cascade slowly down outside in winter. Watching them while sitting in a warm, cozy classroom. It is truly a beautiful experience. Isn't it so cool? Also, the building is easily accessible by subway and bus, making commuting very convenient.
The classrooms are high-tech, which enhances the learning experience. Yet, the motion sensor for the lights isn't working well. They tend to turn off randomly in the middle of class. The funny fact is that waving our hands doesn’t always turn them back on. Someone has to get up and press the button to turn them back on. And we're all so lazy to do so, and we realized we can learn better in the dark.
Besides, these high-tech classes can get quite warm in the summer! Remember the nice window walls I talked about? They're so nice in the winter. But, in the summer, you feel like you're in a greenhouse! And the funny fact is, we use fans! Yes, fans and the fans aren’t always effective. And, because we can't do anything about it, we’ve learned to laugh about it!
One last tip about the building is that we only have coffee machines here. On my first day at SCS, I got coffee from one of them, and let's just say it didn't sit well with me—I'm kidding, it wasn't that bad, but it didn't taste great. So, what I usually do is head over to Tim Hortons at Seneca. It's the closest place to grab a decent coffee during your 15–20-minute break!
Administrative Challenges
One frustrating thing about here is the wait for responses from departments about queries. Sometimes, it takes a long time to get a reply, and other times you might not get a response at all. There is a front desk. You can book an appointment there for immediate help or in-person assistance. But, often, they give you another email to contact, which can be quite annoying. This process is tedious and inefficient at times.
Things you should know about this course
If I want to talk about the Digital & Content Marketing course, it’s great for beginners. It's structured well. It's not too long to be boring, but not too short to miss key content. But the assignments can be overwhelming. Tight deadlines need meticulous planning and a systematic workflow. However, I don’t recommend the course for those who are already digital marketers because this course is all about basics, so I recommend searching for more advanced courses.
Group Projects
Group projects are a main part of your assignments! At first, it could be so frustrating! But trust me, some of your group members will become your best friends! This is what happened to me. I found some of my best friends through group projects. However, the opposite could also happen! And in most of the classes, you'll be able to choose your group members which I believe is nice. I always prefer to be able to choose my group members.
Recommendation for group projects
ChatGPT
The School of Continuing Studies uses advanced tools for finding plagiarism. These include the Turnitin plagiarism checker. It can compare your work to others and identify AI-generated content. If you get caught, it could lead to serious consequences, such as being banned from the course. York University is quite strict about plagiarism.
Recommendations on how to use AI
My challenges
One of my biggest challenges was the class schedule. You don’t get to choose your class times, and you can’t change them once they’re set. My classes were from 12-3 PM, which made it difficult to find a job that fit around my schedule. And you can imagine the cost of living in Canada is so high that you need a part-time job to survive. I think the university could fix this problem by asking students their preferred time before the course starts. Or they could let us choose it ourselves through the website. Many students had this issue. It could meet everyone's needs by fixing it.
The program could benefit from adding more practical experiences. These could include internships or projects with real clients. While I understand that they used to have these opportunities, my classes didn’t include any. It often felt like we were learning theory without enough practice on how to apply these skills in real-world scenarios.
Overall, despite the ups and downs, my time at York SCS has been one of the most valuable experiences of my life. I've met people, gained knowledge, and overcome challenges. They have all helped my personal and professional growth. If you are already an SCS student, please write about your experience for me in the comments section and if you are considering York University for your studies you can contact the registrar's office at the link below:
https://continue.yorku.ca/support/contact-us/
Be ready for a journey. It will be full of learning, growth, and amazing people. Embrace the challenges, stay organized, and make the most of every opportunity. This experience will shape you in ways you can’t even imagine, as it has shaped me.
Hope this helps you choose your adventure at York University or anywhere else!