Featured Articles

procrastinationpen

Dealing with Procrastination

Steve Olson has a great collection of resources for beating procrastination on his site.  (Bookmark it, and then write it lower down on your to-do list. You’ll see why in a moment!) More »

students

Is March Break the best time to visit prospective universities?

It’s March Break for high schools in Ontario and all the Ontario universities know it! There are several tours and activities planned for secondary students taking advantage of the time off to More »

44215_9298

University without high school

Maclean’s article University Without High School gives a highly positive and interesting review of the ideas in the book College Without High School by Blake Boles. If you are high school age and want More »

value

Is it worth going to university?

This post was written on my personal blog a few years ago, inspired by the fact that I had just paid off my student loans. ($463/month for 10 years — you can More »

630271_35279974

Students can improve by being more like salespeople

There’s a lot of information on this site about how to get into university. But it’s only responsible to also include tips, tricks and tidbits that will help you prepare for the academic More »

Category Archives: Interesting Programs

Are you a student entrepreneur?

April 07, 2011   University Admissions . ca

If you’ve started your own Canadian small business and don’t yet have a web presence, you might be interested in Get Your Business Online (www.gybo.ca).

Canada Get Your Business Online is a new program that provides businesses a fast, free, and easy way to get online. Right now you can also receive a $75 Google Adwords credit which allows you to pay for online advertising through Google.

There are several reasons why your business might not have a website: you don’t know how to set it up, you don’t have the time to figure it all out, you don’t have the money to pay someone to build a site for you . . . the GYBO program offers to get you started quickly, for free, and with minimal effort on your part.

They will:

  • register your .ca domain name (the web address) for one year for free (normally $10 – $15)
  • provide free hosting for one year through their host service Yola (in addition to buying the name for the website, you would also have to pay a host to keep it online)
  • let you create a website quickly using their template/generator so you don’t need to know how to build a website yourself

This site is supported by big name sponsors such as Rogers, Google, RBC and others. Of course, they’re going to try to sell you services related to your business, but it’s a great way for students with little web experience and even less cash to get started.  :)

They don’t seem to require you to have a formally registered business, just a Canadian credit card and billing address.  (They won’t charge you, but the organization responsible for issuing .ca domain names requires that a credit card be on filed for every registrant.)  So even if you just have an idea for a new business, or do a little work in your spare time, it seems like you can take advantage of this offer and build yourself a website to promote your products and/or services.

What’s also good about this set up is that you are the owner of the domain name, even if you decide to switch to a different host or have someone else build your website. There is a 60 day waiting period between when your website address is registered and when it can be transfered to a different hosting company, but after 60 days you can continue to use the web address for free for the remainder of the year with any hosting company you want.  (You will have to pay the new hosting company, however. Your hosting is free for a year only if you stay with Yola.)

So get your Canadian business online with a sweet deal for young entrepreneurs!

(Note: this is not an affiliate link, and I don’t receive anything for promoting this service. I just think it’s a great opportunity for students who wouldn’t otherwise spend the time, effort and money to put up a website for their new, small or part-time business.)

Go to this Article

Is March Break the best time to visit prospective universities?

March 14, 2011   University Admissions . ca   No comments
students

It’s March Break for high schools in Ontario and all the Ontario universities know it!

There are several tours and activities planned for secondary students taking advantage of the time off to visit their university choices.   During March Break you can be sure there will be plenty of representation from academic departments, the student union, clubs and services to answer your questions and sell their school.

But the March Break experience isn’t always the most accurate representation of daily life at university.

The circus of March Break activities may give you the impression that the campus is busier and more crowded than it really is. This misrepresentation is just as much a problem if you want to chill out on a mellow campus as it is if you’re hoping to find party central.

Professors, staff and students who might normally be available for a private chat find themselves swamped with hundreds of students being shuttled around from building to building for prepared presentations.

Some of the current university students may enjoy the distraction and be friendly to the throngs of high school students, but remember that the university year is shorter than the high school year.  That means these students are that much closer to their final exams than you are. You may be invading their personal space just when they are trying to buckle down, catch up after their reading week vacation, and finish off their coursework.

When you visit a university campus during your March Break, you’ll know that the university is ready for you.  There should be lots of information to take home and most buildings and facilities will be open for touring.  It’s a great time to see as much of the university as you can.

But if you really want to get a feel for what your experience there will be like, consider booking a campus tour when you can really see the university as it is most of the year.

October is often a great time to see the campus after frosh have settled down and most students are well into their classes but not scrambling to finish a semester. If you’re considering a school in a city that can be cold and snowy in the winter, early February will often allow you to see the campus in its harshest conditions.  That’s the time when you want to evaluate the distance between your residence building and your classes!

It’s not too late to get a campus tour at many Ontario universities this week, so if you don’t have any plans, consider getting in on the excitement! But remember that it is just that – excitement. For a calmer view of the university, consider also trying to get a tour later this month. Then you can follow up on your interests from the March Break tour and get a little more quality time at the university.

Go to this Article

Teens can experience the University of Guelph at Interaction 2011

March 14, 2011   University Admissions . ca   No comments

Guelph’s annual “Interaction” program is a one-day conference (you can attend on either April 27 or April 28) at which teens can have an introduction to the university experience.

From their brochure (pdf):

Interaction provides a unique opportunity for university bound secondary school students in grades 10 and 11 to experience the university living and learning community at Guelph. Session topics cover a wide range of issues and subjects and will be presented by faculty, staff and students from a variety of academic disciplines and student services areas.

Students choose one morning session and one afternoon session from dozens of choices including subject-specific themed sessions such as

  • Science in Sports: How Sports Fields Are Maintained and How They Impact the Urban Environment
  • Wild in the Rainforest
  • Microscopy of Food – What the Eye Cannot See!
  • Let Your Colours Burst: “Designimation”

as well as university orientation themed sessions such as

  • Tips for Financial Planning
  • Setting Yourself Apart: Opportunities and New Horizons
  • Your Orientation Starts Now: Finding Your Voice, Your Place, Your Way
  • The Co-operative Education Advantage

Overnight accommodations are available on campus (subject to availability) for those traveling to this event. Teachers may also register (free of charge) and bring groups of students.

You must register for this conference by Monday, April 11, 2011. Registration is $30 and includes lunch. If you require special assistance, please call 519.824.4120, ext. 58713.  An application and brochure can be found at http://admission.uoguelph.ca/interaction

Go to this Article
« Older posts

  • Subscription Options:

    Subscribe via RSS