Love-Hate relationship as a student of York SCS - Green and Red Flags
The choice of institutes for studying in Canada are many, but there are a few which provide more than a degree.
In India, when I was planning to choose a course related to Digital Marketing and move to Canada for studies my counselor and acquaintances (who are studying in Canada) told me if you have an acceptance letter from York University, I’ve got the best. Although, my main goal to study in Canada was to upskill and learn from the exposure of the industry here, so why not from a prestigious university?
I have been working in the digital marketing industry for the past three years but after coming here my outlook on digital marketing changed TBH, for example, learning about Industry standards, New and upcoming strategies, New tactics, Content Creation and more.
But, apart from learning I have a love-hate feeling for the Institute.
Let me first tell you what I love, because love matters!
I cannot be the only one who loves these about York SCS!
I came to Canada to study with a lot of expectations at York SCS and truly experienced the big and small changes in my life and career. I was overwhelmed with the transition and infatuated with my new relationship.
- Love the new energy; Introduction to York SCS.
Just like all relationships, the first phase was full of green flags all the way. The faculty, staff, fellow students, campus, and weather (it was my first snow experience), I loved it all because it was so new to me. But, what I loved the most was how welcoming the people at York University were to the new students.
For example, even though our campus tour got cancelled because of snow, Mr. Todd, a member of staff, volunteered to take students on a small tour to show the building and nearby.
It wasn’t a big thing, but these small gestures are what make any relationship special.
The campus is very big and I used Google Maps to reach my class for the first week.
(Not kidding) There are direction boards around the campus.
- Communication is the key to a good relationship.
The back-end team at SCS is great at it. I was so impressed with how well everything was organized and smooth for me as a student to understand just by following the information given on email. (Smooth operator is the background score for their clear communication skills).
Special Trivia: I was having a problem with my Moodle (Course management system) and I emailed the technical support team about my not being able to log in and I wanted them to fix it since I wanted to submit my assignment and it was due the same day. The speed with which they responded was faster than Usain Bolt finishing the 100m race.
They gave me an appointment with a tech guy and the issue was resolved within 15 minutes of me reaching out via their email.
My recommendation: Make sure you login and create all your student accounts (Moodle/Microsoft Teams/Gmail) to avoid panic attacks.
Technical Support Link: https://continue.yorku.ca/support/it-support/
- Community learning in class
All the students in the class bring their experience and expertise when interactions happen for assignments or in-class activities. I learnt directly and indirectly from the masters in class and how different minds think on the subjects of marketing. I was obliged to make good relations and work with students from India, China and Iran on different assignments.
Presentation skills, engaging strategies, empathy and team building are some of the skills I learnt from my friends in the class.
I connected with people apart from education, for example, after the class I spent time with Ellie (the most annoying and cute friend of mine), talking about stress as a student and the future. Both of us motivated each other to do better in life. Below is a picture of Ellie trying to stay calm with her work-life balance in Canada.
My Recommendation: Make sure you communicate and engage in groups and do your tasks on time. Contacts made here go a long way.
KPIs of Classroom/Student Life at York SCS Learning
There are different perks of studying at York School of Continuing Studies apart from just getting a degree from this prestigious university.
- Teacher-Student relationship - Instructors at York SCS understand student life very well in Canada, especially for immigrants. Their kind and flexible approach towards their mentees makes the learning experience more productive.
I witnessed some of the sweetest and nicest professors in my course, despite the fact how many assignments they gave us. Personally, I felt it was my friends who were teaching me marketing.
My Recommendation: Ask lots of questions and participate in class discussions, this leads to fruitful conversations and also, make sure you don’t keep assignments lagging for last date.
- Practical Learning - Professor Doris Montanera assigned, me and my group (true story) a group activity to create content for the York University Content Creators Instagram channel. So me and my group came up with a fun and trending idea to create a reel on the given topic.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7O0JwGuulU/?igsh=MWowb3Z3b2d6Y2k3dw==
Similarly, Professor Leigh Mitchell gave us in-class activities to brainstorm on new business ideas and create marketing plans for the same. It was fun and educational.
- Career Guidance - Mr. Rahim who taught me all about SEO and Google Ads in the course, Marketing for Search Engines and Social Media organized a guest speaker - (name), where she discussed Influencer marketing and her experience in the US and Canada and gave the students some industry Insights.
Connecting with all these experts from the industry gave me exposure to leverage my skills in the industry for jobs and opportunities.
- Extra for your resume - The course offers students access to platforms like HubSpot, Microsoft, etc. to get certifications for free to upskill themselves and add them to their resumes. At the same time, they learn from the faculty at the campus.
My Recommendation: Do more certifications than the ones you are assigned to. Make the most use of Hubspot and Microsoft accounts.
Red Flags of York SCS: The Hate Part
The true nature of excellence is when you keep trying to get better. Whatever I am gonna share in this section of the blog, may or may not be relatable to everyone, but York SCS can improve these to make this relationship better and more stable with its students.
- Reflection/Prayer Rooms: As a practicing Muslim I pray 5 times a day, and during my class break I sometimes get disappointed when the room allotted for prayer is locked most of the time. Students can book extra rooms in the building for studies or group discussions by scanning the QR code on the door, but the reflection room doesn’t show up in the software when scanned by QR on it.
My Recommendation: In case you are a practicing Muslim carry your prayer mat.
- Students want to charge: Not the money, but their phones and laptops. Sometimes the charging points on the classroom tables do not work, creating panic because the battery life is low, just like the student’s GIC.
- Clubs and activities: Professors try their best to engage students in different in-class activities but there have to be some more entertaining activities or clubs to join as per student interest. I feel jealous every time I visit Seneca (neighbouring building) to get a coffee and students are doing some activity or the other.
- The cafeteria at SCS: Nowhere to be found. I and most of the students are fond of Tim Hortons (who isn’t) but the problem is students have to cross the street and go to Seneca College to get their favourite coffee, or food too.
- AI usage: There are strict rules for not using AI or Chat GPT for projects and assignments. I feel it is not a modern approach, especially in Digital Marketing courses. The rules for using GPT should be modified, for example, students must be allowed to use it for taking inspiration and to do research.
The conclusion of my experience at York School of Continuing Studies as a student is more of a gain than a loss. Just like every relationship, I am thankful for the lessons and memories.
If you are already a student at York SCS or are planning to join, do leave your comments in the section below if you liked anything about the blog. Good Luck!
