Students’ feelings on post-secondary school

 

An informal study conducted at the MediaPlex looked at student’s feelings about their time in post-secondary over the last year.

With the 2022-23 academic year coming to a close, students from across Windsor and elsewhere in the country reflected on their highlights, hardships and accomplishments during the last eight months. The survey covered topics such as tuition costs, workload and relevance to the career path the program covers.

Out of the 20 people who answered the survey, seven of them said the workload of their program was “difficult but manageable,” and five said it was “too much to handle.”

Rex Robson is a Child Psychology student at the University of Windsor. He outlined his strategy for managing the workload.

“A typical school week involves going to lectures five days a week and doing roughly one to two essays or assignments throughout the week,” said Robson. “To balance this workload effectively I’ve created a calendar that lists all of my assignments, exams and other tasks in order to prepare for when a deadline is approaching.”

He was not the only respondent to use this method. Harper Chaisson, a Forensic Psychology student at Carleton University, does the same thing.

“At the beginning of each term, I like to thoroughly read the course outlines and make note of all the deadlines for that term in a calendar,” said Chaisson. “During the term, I look ahead at deadlines at least three weeks in advance so that I can plan sufficient time to complete each assignment or study for each test.”

Making sure they were prepared for the heavy workload post-secondary brought was a main priority for both of them but getting used to it proved to be a challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person learning for a year and that meant temporarily ending exams for high school students. Exams did not return once people came back to school so many were used to not taking them.

“I feel that I was under-prepared for my post-secondary experience as I wrote exams for the first time in three years, and I felt I lacked the proper study skills to understand course material,” said Robson. “This was challenging to adjust to as I had to dedicate time to relearning study habits.”

Due to this adjustment, when asked to describe his post-secondary experience in one word, he answered, “challenging.”

It may be hard to find time to do things outside of school, but some see doing so as integral to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Issaiah Horney is a history student at the University of Windsor who believes in this idea.

“To balance my workload, I have carefully separated my course work from my work and social life,” said Horney. “Typically, I leave Fridays open every week as a personal day in which I normally spend with friends and family.”

He outlined the social aspect of the post-secondary lifestyle as a personal highlight.

“My favourite part of the school year is always the start as there’s plenty of social events,” said Horney.

Tuition costs are another of the most talked about issues when it comes to post-secondary education. Nine of the 20 people who answered the survey said their tuition was “too expensive,” and five said it was “expensive but manageable.” Chaisson was one of the people who answered, “too expensive.”

“For a full-time Ontario resident in the Bachelor of Science program at Carleton, the tuition is $7,303.67 per year,” said Chaisson.

To manage these high tuition costs along with the cost of living, Chaisson has had to raise her workload outside of school.

“I have to maintain a part-time job throughout the school year, as well as working full-time (up to three jobs) during the summer,” Chaisson said. “On top of the high tuition, housing and basic living costs are also increasingly unmanageable.”

She added that trying to manage her time effectively between school, work, volunteering and taking care of her mental and physical health has caused high levels of stress. When asked how she would describe her school year in one word, she answered, “arduous.”

“Post-secondary schooling can be a very difficult and stressful time in one’s life,” said Chaisson. “It is a time where you are working towards your future while trying to figure out who you are as a person. It is most likely not going to be easy, but if you take the time to prepare in advance, it will become a little easier.”