When it comes to choosing your college, where you learn is just as important as what you’re learning. You can pick a program that suits your career interests, but if the location is inconvenient, it might not work out. That’s why it’s important to know what you’re looking for when it comes to a good college campus. So, when you’re researching where you’re going to be learning, or even checking it out during a campus tour or open house, here are some questions you should be asking yourself:
Where is it located, and what’s nearby?
You don’t want a campus that’s in the middle of nowhere. You need to step outside the college bubble and interact with the outside world, after all. Plus, plenty of good college programs connect you to career opportunities outside the college, and that works out even better if the campus happens to be near some of those career opportunities.
Centennial College’s programs are all about getting you ready with the technical and professional skills you need for the future of work by basing what you learn on the industries you’ll be working in, which is easy to do when our campuses are all located in and around Toronto - a hub of industry and culture. The College also believes in learning experiences that extend beyond the walls of your campus. And that includes more than just co-ops and placements, as we also offer opportunities to study abroad through programs like our Global Citizenship and Equity Learning Experiences (GCELEs), which see you travelling abroad and engaging in leadership experiences for social good.
Is it accessible?
Accessibility means a lot of things. It can mean how easy it is to get to campus when you don’t live there. And once you’re there, it means how accessible it is if you’re a person with disabilities. And that, in turn, means more than just some automatic doors and ramps. True accessibility is a campus that works with any barriers you have, and removes them.
At Centennial College, we have a whole center dedicated to doing just that. Whether it’s a learning disability, medical or mental health condition, visual, hearing or mobility impairment, the Centre for Accessible Learning and Counselling Services (CALCS) will be there to provide accommodations for your documented disability.
What is there to do when classes are over?
Life doesn’t end when class does, and a good college campus is one you want to hang around even when you’re not learning. It’s important that your campus has lots of opportunities to engage with your fellow students, and the community, whether through activities, events, or student clubs. At Centennial College, we have the Centennial College Student Association Incorporated, or CCSAI, to host those special events and activities, as well as facilitate clubs where you can find like-minded students.
What services does the campus offer?
A good campus works for you, and not the other way around. Firstly, you want a campus full of facilities that are clean, safe, and up to date. Next, you want one with good places to study, with ready access to technology, and, for your social side, ready access to culture beyond the classrooms.
There’s too many services to name at Centennial College, but here’s a few: Through the CCSAI, students also have access to health and dental plans, free legal advice, student advocacy, and more. Other services include our Libraries and Learning Centres, where, outside of all the books, you can also use or borrow computers, access 3D printers, as well as academic support. We also offer tutoring for specific courses, or for English comprehension and communication. And when it comes to the transition from student life to the working world, we have Career Services, which you can use from the day you begin classes, and stays available to you even after you graduate. They provide career planning, job search, and resume preparation services. And that’s just a small slice of the on-campus service you can access.
What’s the living situation like?
Considering moving onto campus? If you’re thinking about living where you learn, you’ll want to see how the residence is. Is it furnished, clean, and livable? Is it close to your classes? What facilities does it have?
If you’re staying on campus at Centennial College, Progress Campus is home to Centennial Place. It houses over 700 students in fully-furnished two- and four-bedroom apartment-style units, steps away from classes at Progress. The residence also features services like Wi-Fi, private and group study rooms, common kitchens, a movie/television lounge, a yoga room, food stations, and a 24-hour fitness Centre. And if you’re staying off-campus, Centennial can help with that, too. The CCSAI has partnered with Places4Students to deliver a real-time database of student housing vacancies near Centennial’s campuses.
How diverse is the campus?
No two college students are alike, and modern colleges like Centennial welcome a healthy mix of students of every age, background, gender identity, religion, sexuality, and more. But it’s not enough to just accept students - the campus has to be actively welcoming of diversity. Not only will this help ensure you feel accepted, it can also help your career, and your life. We live in a globalized society, and learning with a broad variety of students will help set you up for life in the real world of work.
Remember those CCSAI clubs from earlier? They include organizations like the Black Student Collective, which provides Black students with support and opportunities for empowerment, and the 2SLGBTQQIA+ Social Club, which creates a safe space for students who identify as gay, lesbian, and bisexual, transgender, or queer as well as those who are questioning or exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity. And that’s only two of the many organizations on campus focused around different cultural and social groups. In addition, Centennial College is committed to embracing the recommendations of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation report, and works with Indigenous communities to provide support for Indigenous students to achieve their educational goals.
Are they environmentally friendly?
You’re at college to make an impact on the world, so it’s only fair to pick a college campus that thinks about its impact on the world, too. You want to go to a school that supports the future, in addition to your future. At Centennial College, students are taught to become citizens of the world, so it’s important that we support that world. That’s why we keep our campus green.
One way we’re doing so is with our new A-Building at Progress Campus, which has only just opened. The new space is Canada’s first LEED Gold, net-zero carbon, mass timber, higher-education building. And that’s only the most recent of our on-campus sustainability efforts, which include an entire Sustainability Strategy that includes diverting waste from landfills, introducing more energy-efficient technologies on campus, and moving toward becoming a 'Net Zero' institution by 2050.
Want to see more about how Centennial College’s five campuses can suit your needs? Come and see for yourself, by booking a Campus Tour, coming to an Open House, or viewing the online version through Open House on Demand.
By Anthony Geremia