Study Abroad Opportunities

Many students go to university with the hopes of doing one or two semesters abroad.

Please Note: This blog provides information only, not recommendations. I have no personal experience with any of these, and make no recommendation regarding any aspect of any of the programs. 

For any study abroad, please check with your institution to make sure that credits would be transferable to your program.  A letter of permission is typically required for that, so you need to do your research in advance. 


SOME UK STUDY ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES
Ever thought about going to the UK?  Here are some options from EuroLearn, who now offer exchange degree programs for North American students at five top-ranked universities:

Kingston University

University of Strathclyde

University of Stirling

Swansea University

Queen Mary, University of London

The EuroLearn degree abroad application center, hosted at
www.DegreesOverseas.com,  is the central point of contact for all U.S. and Canadian students interested in degree programs in the U.K. and provides comprehensive information on all partner universities, courses, fees, housing and more.


Study/Internship Combination Available in Beijing

The Minzu University semester/year abroad program is an excellent one for those interested in immersing themselves in Mandarin language, Chinese Studies, and Ethnic Studies.

The program offers the opportunity to participate in a part-time internship. The internships are academically supervised and credit-awarded internships and are available in a variety of fields such as business, media, Non-Government Organizations, Law, and Information Technology.

Students complete 180 hours of work over the course of the semester.
Even better, AsiaLearn says they will be awarding $1,500 to ALL students who participate in the Fall 2011 pioneering semester at Minzu University in Beijing  http://www.asialearn.org/universities/minzu_university


Many thanks to University of Victoria's International and Exchange Student Services for sharing this information.  Sign up on their website to get all different study abroad program information by email.


For further details one the ones above, please see the following websites:
www.eurolearn.org

www.asialearn.org

Visit my Career Planning website

Karen Girard, CCDP, CEIP
Career Coach
www.careerplanningforstudents.com

TYPICAL UNIVERSITY APPLICATION PROCESS

CHOOSE  1 or 2 institutions or programs

Do you have a Plan B?

CHECK Institution Admissions Website for application criteria

- Courses/Grades needed?

- Additional criteria?

APPLY for Admission

  Have Student Number and Credit Card available

    RECORD login information and ID info provided

SELF REPORT courses and grades on the Application Form

APPLY for Residence and Scholarships

CHECK EMAIL ADDRESSES AND ONLINE APPLICATION

for institution acknowledgments and requests for additional

or missing information

If institution provides email address, CHECK IT REGULARLY

LOGIN TO ONLINE APPLICATION REGULARLY

to check application status

ACCEPTED?

Acceptance is CONDITIONAL

on meeting requirements on final transcript

 YES                                                                                                                                                    NO

Pay Registration Deposit by Deadline to hold your spot OR Reject position so that they can offer your spot to another student

SEE GUIDANCE OR CAREER CENTER (Get some help from someone who knows options)  Apply for Plan B? Upgrade to meet requirements? Apply for different program or open studies?

CHECK DATES AND MEET additional admission criteria (ie portfolio, essay, audition, supplementary application)

 

MEET ACADEMIC CRITERIA  (final grades matter!)

APPLY ONLINE to have official transcripts sent directly to institutions (if necessary)

CONTACT INSTITUTION ADVISOR AND REGISTER FOR COURSES

Attend Institution Registration Sessions if offered 

PAY FEES BY DEADLINE

Keep Checking online and email addresses for further info

Out of Province Universities Visit Calgary - October 2010

Calgary Parents and Students:  Anyone in your household thinking of attending a Canadian University outside of Alberta? 

Here is your chance to speak one-on-one to representatives from 40+ Canadian universities including UBC, UVic, Queens, Dalhousie, and many more! 

These events are FREE, and open to students and parents.  Drop by with your questions about admissions, scholarships, residence, campus, academic programs, and get answers from the people who really know!

Monday, Oct. 25 6:30 – 8:00pm William Aberhart 3009 Morley Trail NW	Tuesday, Oct.26 6:30 – 8:00pm Bishop Grandin HS 111 Haddon Road SW
Wednesday, Oct. 27 6:30 – 8:00pm Notre Dame HS 11900 Country Village Link NE	Thursday, Oct. 28 5:30 – 7:30pm Cochrane HS 529 – 4th Ave N Cochrane, AB

If you need more information, leave me a post!

Karen Girard, CCDP, CEIP
www.careerplanningforstudents.com
info @ careerplanningforstudents.com

Girls in Science - Beauty and Brains Conference

Girls, there are so many careers in science that you may be interested in - check out any hands-on opportunities you get to see what people actually do in jobs.  This is one of many opportunities across Canada where you can check this out.

Calgary Telus Science Center - BEAUTY and BRAINS Conference for Girls ages 12 - 17 - October 30 - Registration is open (hurry - the one for boys sold out) - Admission is free, but you have to pre-register - Please phone 403-268-8341.



From the Website:  "It is a day dedicated to inspiring young women and helping them discover career paths in unique and innovative professions. Take part in interactive workshops with successful local women who have careers in dynamic and interesting fields like engineering, trades and technology and science research."

Study Abroad Opportunities

University students - have you ever thought about doing a semester or a year in another country?  How about Africa?  Belgium?  or a castle in Oxford, England?

It is the time of year to begin checking out the study abroad programs.  Students usually learn about these in first year, apply and prepare in 2nd year, and attend 3rd year.  Some students go through the process faster - but what wonderful opportunities there are.

If you want to learn more about opportunities from Canadian universities, check out your university exchange programs on their websites.  You can also apply to a listserv like  study_abroad@lists.uvic.ca - the information you will receive from there can apply to students from across Canada.  It is one of better sources I have found.

And if you are lucky enough to go to University of Victoria, or near enough to make a visit on October 19, they are having their International Opportunities Fair from 10:00 - 2:00 p.m.  Check it out and talk to representatives from may overseas institutions!

Oh, to be young again... youth have so many opportunities these days.

Want more info?  Just ask...

Karen Girard, CCDP, CEIP
Career Coach
www.careerplanningforstudents.com
info@careerplanningforstudents.com

10 Tips for Succeeding in First Year - written by first year university students

www.careerplanningforstudents.com

Many thanks to Dr. Allyson Hadwin from the University of Victoria for permitting me to post this here - please share it with anyone you know who has a first year student!!

The following tips were written by first year students who attended ED-D101 (Learning Strategies for University Success) - an undergraduate course offered at the University of Victoria.  While many may seem like common sense, be sure to read the content - common sense is not always common to everyone!!

1.   Go to class! 

This has nothing and everything to do with “how smart you are.” Anyone can learn from a textbook, no one can learn a whole textbook in one semester. You need class to help narrow down what the teacher wants you to focus on and learn. It also forces you to keep up with the course.

2.   Introduce yourself to your professors at the beginning of the semester.

That way you know where to find them when you get stuck. Also if professors have met you and see you in lecture every week, they are more likely to remember you and be willing to help when you get stuck.

3.   Treat university like a full time job.

If you do this, you make a study schedule, map out time constraints for each assignment, make study goals to make you make the most of my time, and still have time to schedule work.

4.   Take time away for yourself.

Success at university is not solely based on the academics and books. Part of being successful is being happy and healthy. It’s sometimes hard to keep up with healthy eating and sleep patterns, there are times it will be impossible. Make sure you take time away for yourself – for personal well being.

5.   Prepare questions before the lecture - Review notes after the lecture.

This does not need to take a long time but by the end of the term this will help. This includes, showing up early or on time, having proper materials (notebook, writing utensils, pre‐lecture notes, etc.) It is important to understand what the professor is discussing in his or her class.

6.   Try all sorts of strategies & pay attention to the ones that work for you.

Do not despair if you do not do very well on your first few assignments or exams - it is really an adjustment period. It is an opportunity to adjust your strategies and try something new.

7.   Use SMART strategies

When engaging in your studies, you should Select and focus on what is important, Monitor your understanding by ways such as explaining what you learned to a peer, Assemble and group ideas for you to remember, Rehearse and review, and Translate what you have learned into your own representations and frameworks.

8.   Understand the material, know the jargon, and avoid memorizing.

Look at how and why a concept works rather than finding ways to solve it so if you need to apply a concept or change it around a little under various conditions, you are able to. As for jargon, the best way to understand it is to apply it regularly: use jargon often when you write about or talk about things related to that course.

9.   For every hour in class/tutorial/lab spend 3 hours studying that material.

Now, this may seem like quite a lot, especially if you are taking several courses in one semester, but with this much commitment, one is nearly guaranteed above-average results.

10. Take everything one step at a time and don’t sweat the small stuff.

"I had to get groceries and cook every meal for myself. I was in a new city, with no friends or relatives. I couldn’t find my way to my classes without a map, yet I was already behind in every one of them. I was overwhelmed, and ready to quit. After shedding a few tears and taking a few deep breaths, I realized everyone was in the same boat. I learned to just take it one step at a time and it all came together."


The University of Victoria Strategies for University Success is a graded course worth 1.5 units that can be taken (and used as an elective) by students in any Faculty or program. The course helps students develop study skills and strategies while working on applied activities and assignments. Students apply theory to examine their own learning and experiment with strategies. For more information about the course at UVic, contact the Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership studies .


For Students not at Uvic, check with your program Advisor to find out if your university or college offers this type of program.  Dr. Hadwin says "We have hundreds of students taking it each term and I know the course really makes a difference!"

www.careerplanningforstudents.com

Bow Valley College Open House in Calgary TODAY - Oct. 16

Bow Valley College Open House today in Calgary -

I went on a tour of their new facility the other day and was really impressed by their new labs, and especially 2 yr Pharmacy Technician & LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) program.

The 2 yr Pharmacy Technician lab is awesome, and has the sterile lab section as well - this is the program you would take to get a job in the hospital preparing not only meds, but IV's etc...

We got to do some hands-on activities in the lab, the same way a student there would.  Love the hands-on learning activities!

Keep in touch with what is going on -  www.careerplanningforstudents.com

... and so it begins

Welcome to the Student Career Planning Blog where I hope to share ideas and information that will help guide students and parents.  Of course, the best way for this to happen is for you, the reader, to let me know what you want to read about, so please feel free to comment.

Meanwhile, university and college applications are beginning to open and students are contacting me in a panic!

Typical questions are:

What courses do I need to get into... ?

What grades to I need to have to get into ...?

What can I do with a degree in...?

How do I apply for scholarships?

What scholarships are out there?

How will I pay for school?

Or even worse, I don't know what I want to do, but I need to apply now!

NO - there is still time - STOP the PANIC!  Yes, applications are opening but deadlines are still a little time away - you can still do a bit of exploring, and it may not even be too late to change a course next semester to meet requirements, or to find a back door so that you can register in a university program and still get a course over the summer for your ideal choice.

This is some of the information I hope to cover, but where to start?  You tell me... email me at info@careerplanningforstudents.com with your ideas. 

Karen Girard, CCDP, CEIP

Career Coach
www.careerplanningforstudents.com