When it comes to choosing a college, research is key, and you’ve probably already started by looking around online on your own or with a guidance counsellor's help. There’s a lot of great information that exists online, but there’s a lot more that can’t be answered until you get onto a campus. That's why colleges hold open houses, to give you a real feel of what it will be like to study there. Centennial College's Fall Open House is taking place on November 12, across all of our campuses, and you can register right here. Here's what you can learn by going, and how to make sure you make the most of your visit.
1. Get a feel for the location
Where you take a program is just as important as what you take. A good college aims to connect you to careers, so you want to be close to where the careers are, and that means a campus that’s connected to the city. Speaking of that connection, you’ll also want to check out the commute if you’re going to live off-campus, so you can see how long it takes to get there, where you can park (if you’re driving), and even the neighbourhood that the campus is located in. Centennial College has five campuses and two learning sites in the Greater Toronto Area, most being a quick bus or subway ride away. Whichever location you visit, you might want to take some time before or afterwards to leave campus, and explore the area. At the very least, you can see if there’s anywhere good to go for lunch beyond the campus’s dining facilities (though the student-run restaurant, The Local, is very good.)
2. Look into the services on campus
You'll be spending a lot of time on campus, so it's important to make sure that it has what you need to excel at your program. Aside from the location, there's something a bit more practical you'll want to look into: the services available to you as a student, especially if they're covered by your tuition. This includes the library, academic support, advising and counselling, accessibility services, financial aid, and anything else you might need to help you learn.
3. See what you can do when you’re not studying
In other words, take in the campus culture. A good college campus should be a home away from home, so you’ll want to check out the student association, see if there’s any clubs you’re interested in joining, or what kind of events are offered through the year. You can even have a look at non-academic facilities like the gym to keep you healthy (admission’s free when you’re a Centennial student!), or more unique services, like the spa at our Morningside campus. When there’s fun things to do, your time on campus will be a lot more enjoyable, so keep an eye out for them.
4. Get to know who you’re learning with
It’s not just about the place, it’s about the people. You’ll want to know about the instructors you’ll be learning from, and the students you’ll be learning with. An Open House gives you a chance to meet those instructors, as well as current and future students. In fact, an Open House gives you the perfect opportunity to directly ask both students and faculty for more information about the program you’re interested in, the campus and the culture.
Questions for potential teachers could include:
- What's the typical class size?
- If my grades are slipping, what type of academic support is offered?
- How available will you be outside the class?
- What's the most difficult thing about the program?
- How do you handle internships and placements?
Questions for current students could include:
- Do you live on residence, or do you commute to school?
- If you commute to school, what is the commute like?
- If you live on residence, what did you do for fun last weekend? How often do you go home?
- Why did you pick this school?
- What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
- What was the most difficult thing to get used to here?
- Where do you study?
5. Get some free stuff!
Another great thing about open houses is that there's often a few giveaways, with a chance of winning prizes. I personally won an iPod from an open house one year. This year at Centennial, you could win $5,000 towards your tuition. So, if you're still trying to decide which school you're going to, or you just want to learn more about our campus, register to come visit us on November 12, and learn about how we can help you get ready!
By Anthony Geremia