This article was written by Student Social Media Contributor and Business Management student, Sarah Overacker. Here she shares a few tips that have helped her ease into a new term.
A smooth transition is always welcome when starting a new course of studies. When I started my first diploma two years ago, I had moved from out of province and I was straight out of high school. I was fresh faced and ready to start my new journey. However, preparation was never my strong suit. But as I continued my studies, I found out ways to make my start of semester a lot easier for myself.
myBCIT and the Learning Hub
Start by making sure you can log in to your myBCIT and The Learning Hub so you can access your schoolwork and any notifications related to your studies. The Pulse App is available on the Apple App store and Google Play Store. This app has a calendar for all of your assignments and quizzes as well. You can also connect your myBCIT email to your personal email for when you feel like you won’t remember to check for updates.
Learn your schedule
I like to print my schedule off and put it on my wall, especially in the first couple of weeks, so that I know when I have class and where I have to meet. There are many apps and websites you can use to help remind you of your class hours and assignments, but you can also keep it simple and use your phone calendar or regular desktop calendar.
Utilize Student Services
If you have any questions regarding your tuition or your classes, check out the Student Services that BCIT offers. There are a variety of different services that BCIT provides for students including Health & Wellness, Indigenous Services, Academic & Learning Services, and many more. By going to the website, you can find these services as well as any contact information you may need to reach out. Due to COVID-19, many services are unavailable for in person meetings, but some are still running virtually. It is best to double check here to see how you can contact each service.
Take a breath
It’s going to be okay. The first few weeks may feel overwhelming or stressful. Take a minute to breathe and clear your head so that you can think clearly. Take a walk, call your friends, or do a 5-minute workout. Any of these things will help you come back to where you need to be so that you can maintain your studies.
These tips helped me to prepare for my studies over the last two and a half years. And hopefully they can help you as you enter BCIT.