All Posts Tagged With: "2013 student issue"

The anonymous compliment trend that started at Queen’s

Jessica Darmanin

From the 2013 Student Issue, on sale now.

Four Queen’s students chatted in the house they shared, lamenting the end of summer. “We were depressed school was starting again, there was lots of work to do, the weather was getting cold,” says Rachel Albi, a 20-year-old history major who spent her summer working at Disney World. The foursome wanted to do something together to feel better—but without moving. “We wanted to stay inside,” she laughs.

Just 10 minutes later, and inspired by her little sister’s efforts toward a similar project at her high school, Albi and her roommates—music students Jessica Jonker and Erica Gagne, and English major Amanda Smurthwaite—took to Facebook. Their creation, Queen’s U Compliments, launched on September 12th.

The premise is simple: “Basically, we made a profile, of a person not a page, so that we can tag people,” explains Jonker. Users, friends or otherwise, message compliments to Queen’s students which are tagged and posted anonymously. “That way, the compliment shows up on our wall and their personal page,” she says.

Continue reading Flattery gets you everywhere

Universities aren’t doing much to help students plan careers

York student Kaitlyn DiIlio (Jessica Darmanin)

From the 2013 Student Issue on sale now.

Mike St. Jean is in his seventh year of political science at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont. “I still don’t even know what I can do with my degree,” he says. “I can get a job in government or elections, but other than that, the transition seems hard to lay out. I read books and analyze them. What does that mean to the real world?”

It’s not as if it hit him suddenly. The question “What’s next?” is one of the reasons he dropped down to part-time studies in year four of his degree. Another reason was that he needed time for his part-time job and his work with the Argus student newspaper, where he’s now an editor.

Lakehead’s counsellors haven’t helped. He only visited them once, years ago, and was told to consider a master’s in English or an education degree. “I don’t know how many jobs there are for teachers,” he says. What he does know is that a friend who took education moved to England because she couldn’t find work here. A master’s didn’t strike him as a good plan, either; he’s seen multiple master’s graduates and one Ph.D. apply for low-wage jobs at the Subway where he works. Professors are encouraging, but they don’t offer career advice. His parents want to help, but “they think university is about curing cancer and rocket science,” he says. “They have no idea what I’m in.”

Continue reading Finding work: the missing link for university students

Jordan LeBel is a 3M National Teaching Fellow for 2013

Professor Jordan LeBel

Jordan LeBel, who began working in kitchens when he was 12 years old, was destined to be a chef. But his parents weren’t so sure. They persuaded him to take a hospitality management course instead, putting him on a career track that would include restaurant reviewer, author, and a renowned chocolate expert who colleagues and students call Dr. Chocolate.

Now LeBel, 44, teaches Concordia’s highly popular, one-of-a-kind food marketing class, where he shares his passion with students. It’s his enthusiasm for his subject—consumer psychology and the pleasure of food—that makes him a favourite among students and one of 10 3M National Teaching Fellows for 2013.

“There is just so much to learn about it from so many different angles,” says LeBel. “I want to open people’s eyes and teach them everything they can learn about food.”

Continue reading Dr. Chocolate teaches marketing and the pleasure of food

Student satisfaction at 37 schools

The annual CUSC survey focuses on student satisfaction. In 2012, 37 institutions took part, administering an online questionnaire to a sample of graduating students at each school. More than 15,000 students responded to questions about everything from academics to support services.

MOST OF MY PROFESSORS ENCOURAGED STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN CLASS DISCUSSIONS.

MOST OF MY PROFESSORS WERE REASONABLY ACCESSIBLE OUTSIDE OF CLASS TO HELP STUDENTS.

SATISFACTION WITH CONCERN SHOWN BY THE UNIVERSITY FOR YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL

SATISFACTION WITH THE OVERALL QUALITY OF THE EDUCATION RECEIVED AT THIS UNIVERSITY

SATISFACTION WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO ENHANCE EDUCATION THROUGH ACTIVITIES BEYOND THE CLASSROOM (E.G., UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH, SERVICE-LEARNING, STUDENTS EXCHANGE)