The University of Distinction & Class

The Engineering Education: Canadian Universities

Engineering is the mastery of design. Such mastery must be gained through careful study, and those seeking lessons can find them in Canada. Consider the country’s most impressive facilities to gain the necessary knowledge you need.

These colleges must be considered by those wishing to further their studies. Choosing the right one requires more than the need to excel, however. It instead demands research. Canada 411 can provide that. Use it to gain insight. Discover essential information, directions and references.

Waterloo Bound

Providing an innovative education, the University of Waterloo is among Canada’s premier institutions. It was established in 1957 (in the city it shares its name with) as a way to fulfill Ontario’s need for mathematics. It has since sprawled into a 1,000-acre campus and boasts over 30,000 students. It features the largest co-operative program in the world.

McGill Rewards

Tucked in Montreal is a collection of research facilities and academic pursuits. McGill University, founded in 1821, is one of Canada’s oldest organizations. It offers an intimate atmosphere, with its urban campus shaped to a mere 80 acres. The college consistently ranks as the countries finest and has earned recognition among the world for its engineering feats.

Alberta Advantage

Progress has forever defined education, and the University of Alberta was created from such progress. Constructed in 1906, this college mimicked the then-modern ideals of learning. It offered nondenominational admissions and applied research facilities and extension efforts. Since its construction, it has allowed its home of Edmonton to become a vital source of engineering and has emphasized biomedical and nanotechnology efforts.

Finding the right school is the best way to start a promising career in engineering.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: Canada, McGill University, Montreal

Success in Any College Environment

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Many people are now choosing to further their education through online learning in order to progress in the workplace and obtain higher-paying jobs. Many traditional universities are now offering full catalogues of courses that can be completed online, and there are also institutions that offer only online courses.

The first step to completing higher education online is to make sure the college or university is accredited. Without this certification, the degree earned may not be beneficial to the graduate. It is also important to do some research before signing up as to how much the whole process will cost, including tuition, books, and any other fees. The professors should have at least a master’s degree, plus plenty of experience to be able to properly teach and guide students in real world situations. Some schools will also offer assistance to their students to find jobs after graduation, so this may be an option worth having.

Many students will enter university with a major and minor already in mind, while some aren’t sure. When trying to decide, students can think about which courses have been enjoyable, and what major and job path those typically fall under. Internships can help students see which jobs are particularly fulfilling. Some majors and minors will require advanced degrees in order to work in these fields, which can add extra college stress and cost to the educational experience. Students should examine the fields to which each major can be applied when deciding which job. Higher education is a great way to receive opportunities for earning more money, as well as positions that allow for more growth and advancement in the long run.

Filed Under: Education, Higher Education Tagged With: Academic degree, Education, Higher education

Considering a Double Major

Many students find a double major to be appealing because it enables them to graduate with two degrees and gain a greater knowledge foundation that just concentrating on one area. However, many students find it extremely difficult to complete a double major in an adequate amount of time. Students must consider certain factors when deciding to pursue two fields of study.

Identify the Pros

It is important for students to understand the reasons of why they want to pursue two majors such as for a career, an equal passion for two areas, or have a competitive edge after graduation. Students should compose a list of reasons to pursue a double major.

Identify the Cons

Students must also consider the negative aspects of pursuing two majors such as the challenges, cost, changes, worries, and sacrifices. They should create a list of reasons not to double major.

Consider Financial Factors

Financing a double major is a major factor students must consider. Increased course-loads, additional courses, completion of courses during summer and other off-terms all cause raises in tuition costs.

Consider Personal Factors

Students must consider the personal factors of a double major. They must identify the difficulty of the combination of majors and assess if they will have time to relax and enjoy other college aspects or if it will result in an overall negative college experience.

Meet with an Advisor

It is important for students to consult with faculty advisors to discuss aspects of double majoring and get a professionals opinion and a different outlook on the pros and cons that the student may not have considered.

Talk to Other Students Pursuing Double Major

Talking with students who are currently pursuing a double major can help students gain an insight of what to expect and what the experience is like. Students can get an idea of workload and if the decision is manageable and worthwhile.

Filed Under: Education, Majors Tagged With: Academic major, Education, Student

Tips for College Success

There are a variety of forms of academic success in college. For majority of students it involves an excellent transcript that gives a competitive edge when applying for jobs or advanced education programs. Other students view academic success as aspects of what happens in and out of the classroom.

Tips for Succeeding in College:

Enable Exploration

Some students begin college knowing exactly what career they want to pursue and others do not have a clue. No matter the situation, it is important for students to explore all the things a higher education institution has to offer including unique courses, extracurricular activities, and events.

Make Good Decisions and Reap the Consequences

Throughout college there will be a vast amount of individuals offering advice of what students should be doing during and after their academic career. It is important for students to make their own decisions such as choosing a major and career that best suits them not anyone else. When making all types of decisions, confidence and happiness are very important.

Maintain Balance

College is often overwhelming and it is necessary for students to maintain a suitable balance between academics, social experiences, healthy living habits, and maintaining relationships.

Encourage Strong Performance

Once the important decisions of exploring majors and deciding on a field of study and even a career choice, students need to set themselves up for success. It is essential to make the most out of the college experience by selecting courses from good professors, accepting criticism and using it to improve, and putting genuine effort into tasks.

Learn Outside the Classroom

Facilitating learning experiences aside from courses is a vital part of the college experience. Students should join organizations or clubs and participate in activities that spark their passion and interests.

Filed Under: Education, Majors Tagged With: College, Education, Student

The Pros and Cons of Selecting More Than One Major

An increasing amount of college students are deciding to pursue more than one academic major. Some are doing so to build their resumes to create a competitive edge in today’s rigorous marketplace and others prepare for careers in multi-disciplinary fields. When deciding to pursue more than one major, there are many important issues to consider.

Pros

Having multiple majors on a college transcript shows employers that the graduate is dedicated to hard work, which will reflect in their careers.
Students planning to pursue more than one major can still graduate within the normal amount of time because they can complete Advanced Placements courses in high school.
Multiple majors helps students pursue diverse interests especially those that are finding it difficult to just choose one area of focus.
Multiple majors allow an easier transition for future career changes.
Many jobs are becoming more multidisciplinary and requiring additional skills that more than one major can provide.

Cons

Pursuing more than major often requires additional time to graduate and increased tuition costs.
Some employers may view a student with multiple majors as an individual that has a hard time focusing on a particular area.
Since multiple majors take more time, students may not be able to pursue other important college experiences such as internships, leadership roles, volunteer opportunities, extracurricular activities, and study abroad experiences.
Some majors are on different ends of the spectrum and do not complement each other to add significant value.

Students who decide to select more than one academic major should access their career objectives and factors that are associated with multiple majors such as the need for multidisciplinary abilities, tuition costs, and time to graduate. Academic advisors, career-services staff members, professionals in the targeted profession, and other resources can assist students with making their decision.

Filed Under: Education, Majors Tagged With: Academic major, Employment, High school

Importance of College Minors

Many educational professionals stress the importance of students selecting a minor in college and there are important academic, professional, and personal benefits of college minors.

Academic Importance

A minor may be significantly important for students who plan on applying to graduate school or other advanced academic activities. Minors can demonstrate that a student possesses additional interests and abilities in interrelated or completely separate areas.

Minors can also demonstrate who a student is as a person and related interests and academic goals. A minor will not guarantee or deny admission to advanced academic programs, but it can help students stand out among large amounts of applicants to competitive programs.

Professional Importance

From a professional standpoint, minors can provide assistance to students who need additional education for a certain career path such as supporting knowledge in a subfield. Students can also augment their resume by complete courses and gaining training in an area that potential employers will consistently have an interest in.

Students often choose minor to complement one area of academic training with another that will enable students to acquire theoretical and practical knowledge. For example, students pursuing a teaching degree choosing a minor in a specific subject to increase career prospects and demonstrate a solid understanding of the particular area.

Personal Importance

College minors may have important personal aspects to students if they choose to minor in an area that they are very interested in and have a passion for such as an aspiring medical student that has a deep love for playing the piano that chooses to minor in music.

Students may also decide to acquire training and skills in a specific field, but not be committed to pursuing the subject at an extensive major level.

Filed Under: Education, Minors Tagged With: College, Education, Student

Methods of Online Learning

Online learning services have developed since computers were first introduced to the education industry. There are various forms on online learning including classroom aides to complement lectures such as PowerPoint presentations, laptop programs, hybrid learning, and complete online learning.

As technology increases, more educational institutions are implementing combined learning services where computer-based activities are incorporated into classroom-based environments.

Types of Online Learning:

Computer-Based Learning (CBL): involves using computers as an important part of the learning environment.
- The term is broadly used to define a structured learning atmosphere where computers are used for the purpose of instruction.
- It also refers to the general use of computers in classrooms.
Computer-based training (CBT): involves learning activities that are self-paced and available through computers and handheld electronic devices.
- CBT is generally used to teach unchanging processes such as mathematical equations or using software. CBT is typically delivered through CD-ROM and related software.
- Evaluation of learning generally takes place in the form of multiple choice questions or other related methods that can be scored easily on a computer. Online software easily scores and records evaluations and delivers immediate feedback to users. Users can often print certificates that illustrate completion.
- Web-based training (WBT) is a form of computer-based training that is delivered through the Internet using a web browser.
Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is a useful way to improve learning and teaching.
- It used modern communication technology and enables students to interact with instructors and each other. Users are able to work together and use direct manipulation of information to facilitate learning.
- This type of learning enables the virtual learning environment to invite multiple users to share information and promote active experiences among students and instructors.
Technology-enhanced learning (TEL) strives to provide socio-technical advances to improve the effectiveness and cost efficiency of e-learning methods.
- It takes into account several factors include individual users, organizations, location, and pace of learning.
- This type of learning applies to any of learning that incorporates technology.

Filed Under: Education, Online Education Tagged With: Blended learning, Education, eLearning

Typical Factors That Cause Stress Among College Students

Numerous students enrolled in college deal with many factors that contribute to stress. Increased stress in college can be a contributing factor to weight gain, anxiety, depression, and dropping out.

Common Stress Factors:

Academics: many new college students do not understand the magnitude of the amount of work college courses involve, which is significantly more difficult than the average workload in high school. College students also have less support from teachers and parents. Rigorous college courses may involve difficult tests, scheduling problems and various other academics barriers. College students often have to endure long and hard hours of studying which leads to lack of sleep and free time.
Social Experiences: college brings an array of social challenges including leaving a student’s complete support system and developing a new network of social contacts. Other social stressors include being away from home, decreased parental support, sharing living space with a roommate, and trying to balance social experiences and part-time jobs with schoolwork.
Miscellaneous Stressors: There are various other stressors that accompany college life including living independently, staying up late and getting up early, missing home, and deciding how to choose the right major of study. Most students have a hard time of who they want to become sometime during college.

Stress Results

Stress related to college life includes a variety of effects:

Feeling overwhelmed: this is one of the most common results of stress in college and many students struggle with trying to find a good balance of school work and social experiences.
Gaining or losing weight: many students unintentionally gain or lose weight during their first few years of college as they attempt to deal with stress and other practical and social problems.
Dropout: stress of college life contributes significantly to the high dropout rate among college students. According to the 2008 U.S. Census, approximately 50% of American college students who begin college do not graduate.

Filed Under: Education Tagged With: High school, Student, United States

Higher Learning

Higher learning is something that is desired by many individuals today. In fact, colleges are bursting at the seams with new student enrollments because people are realizing that it is never too late to return to college. This is especially true of people that are in a down economy. The Great Recession has been the closest to the Great Depression for many people of recent times, and that has created an urgency to return to school and to get educated in fields that will provide incomes to families. More than ever people are returning to trade schools and tech schools as many of these higher learning programs are faster to complete and tend to be in demand regardless of the economic downturn. The types of jobs that are affected are the higher echelon white collar corporate jobs that have bloated salaries.

For those that are pursuing higher learning degrees and certificates it should be applauded. There are many people that would not see the purpose and would continue to search for jobs in the same field that is shrinking and hoping that something works out. There is no shame in attending a tech school or a trade school to learn valuable skills that are both useful and marketable. When the economy improves then people can use the education that they received and couple that with the experience that they already have and be that much more marketable. This seems to be the trend that is happening and many people are looking forward to the time when they can capitalize on their skills and provide a company with an essential set of knowledge that is unique to that individual. This can only be accomplished through learning and taking the time to work through a hard economy.

Filed Under: Education, Higher Education Tagged With: Great Recession, Higher education, United States

Online Majors

Online majors are no different than traditional brick and mortar majors. The difference is that many of these schools offer pamphlets and brochures outlining the specific requirements for each of their programs. This is a necessary tool as many schools are only offered on a visual basis. These schools are focusing on a customer service type of presentation, and for students, this is a great benefit. In declaring majors for online schools, this is something that is done from the very beginning. It is vital that a prospective student truly understand and comprehend what it is that they want to do, otherwise there could be a lot of time and money that is wasted on changing majors as the requirements for many of the degree programs are different for each. This is the one drawback of many online schools as they make their programs very concise and specific, so there is little room for error and little margin for changing minds.

There are many majors to choose from, and the difference with online schools to that of brick and mortar schools is that they will not allow you to dual major. This is because the course work is provided in a different format, and there is a fear that many students will not be able to handle the load. This is a legitimate concern, and many schools pride themselves on their high rates of success and completion. If a dual major was considered, many students would not be able to handle the load and would therefore have to drop part of their program. This would reflect poorly on the school and then in turn tarnish their success and completion statistics. Be sure to investigate the options before choosing a degree program, and once decided you need to make sure you complete the program as prescribed.

Filed Under: Majors, Online Education Tagged With: Academic degree, Associate's degree, Brick and mortar business, Colleges and Universities, Student