As the winter semester comes to a close, Humber staff, students, and alumni offered their insights to new incoming students on first-year success.
Chelsea Teng, a first-year Humber Business Marketing student advised not to get discouraged and despite failure, to always pick yourself back up.
“If you set a very high standard for yourself and if you don't meet that immediately don’t stress yourself over that because it doesn’t matter how many times you fail, what really matters is how many times you try again and pick yourself back up,” he said.
To get the most out of college, Teng recommended using Humber's learning resources.
“Maybe I just got lucky or just the Humber environment itself, but my first year was very welcoming," he said. The Humber institution also provides assisted learning. It’s not something they will shame you for. They will actually be glad you reached out for help.”
Nicholas Spagnolo, a Guelph-Humber Media and Communications alumni stressed that attendance and notes are the keys to success.
“You should show up to class every single day. Make sure to stay on top of the deadlines and keep track of them. You should definitely take good notes that you’ll be able to go and look back on and study with,” he said.
He encouraged first-years to always ask questions and not be afraid to ask instructors for help.
“Especially when you have a question, you should ask them when you have them immediately because you’ll otherwise forget them later on. There are no stupid questions. Always ask your professor any questions you have. That’s what they are there for,” he said.
Humber Journalism Professor Rob Lamberti said the path may not be linear but to keep trying.
“Be goal-oriented. Finish what you started. It may not go the way you wanted it to go in the beginning; feel your way around. Keep at it. Just keep at it. Sometimes it does come easy,” he said.
Lamberti said his biggest recommendation when it comes to resources is the library.
“The library would be the biggest resource. For searching for information, you have more than 700 periodicals that you have access to, not all of them are English language. They’re from around the world. You can get a global perspective on a lot of things,” he said.
Victoria Brettone is a second-year finishing up her occupational therapist and physiotherapist assistant program. She said organization is a great way to simplify school life.
“Learning new material can be stressful. Keeping things simple and organized will help make learning a lot easier,” Brettone said.
She offered some words of inspiration for incoming students, saying that their efforts have brought them this far and will help them continue embarking on their journey.
“You made it this far for a reason. Never give up because you will reach the finish line one day!”
