The end of the school year

By Natalie Serafini, Opinions Editor

Slowly, the school year is drawing to a close (we’ll ignore for a moment that finals loom over the horizon, and far off in the distance a new semester awaits). Before the headaches of studying set in and the headaches of hangovers begin, let’s take a moment to review: what have you learned in the last year at Douglas? What would you have done differently? And what tops your list as a favourite class?

Asked what she felt was the most important advice she could give other students, Kayla Wilson said, “To use your resources… the resources around you, like the different types of students, and just get to know everyone, get to know all the different types of clubs.”

On what was the most important thing she’d learned in the last year, Hannah Zhao said, “I learned a lot about how to rearrange my notes to review for tests and also to plan. To time manage and plan to do projects and group meetings, things like that.”

Karam Jid felt he had “learned to prepare notes very efficiently.”

Chamanjit Gill learned that, “In my first semester I tried hard… and after that I just didn’t take too much time to study, then after that I came to know that I need to go each step by step to get good marks.”

Bea said, “I’ve learned to manage my time, to keep away from distractions, and stay in the library as much as possible.”

On what she would have done differently, Bea also said, “I think I should have concentrated more on my studies and less on extracurriculars, because that’s what matters right now.”

Asked what her goals were for future semesters, Zhao said, “I didn’t think about that: for me, it’s like a long-range target because this year didn’t finish, right?”

Jid and Jagroop Mann, both in Computer Sciences, said Computer Programming courses were their favourite classes of the year.

Similarly, Zhao who is studying Accounting, said that her Calculus and Accounting classes were very good.

On what her favourite class of the year was, Wilson said, “I would have to say my favourite class is Human Geography by Sarah Paynter, because she loves to get the class talking, and she does research behind her teaching so it’s not just off of a textbook. She actually knows what she’s talking about, and she’s been around the world.”

Arvind Kaur, who is finishing off her diploma in the fall, says that her experiences at Douglas College have been great so far.

The last year has been a whirlwind for me: I spent a good portion of my first year learning the ropes as a newbie to college, while this year I partied more, took on more projects, and attempted to keep up with classes. My grades are going to suffer as a result of my lengthy to-do list, and I’ve learned that regardless of whether or not I care about the classes, I still need to work hard—meeting the science and math requirements for my degree is going to seriously hurt my GPA. And yet, I also learned that I sometimes need to say yes to taking on opportunities that distract me from my studies. Time spent working for the newspaper is admittedly time not spent ploughing through statistics homework, but it’s also one of the greatest opportunities I’ve been given while at Douglas.

My countdown to graduation from Douglas and transferring to university has begun (two more semesters!), but I couldn’t be happier with my experiences here. Hopefully I’ll take what I’ve learned at Douglas College—both the working harder and the saying yes to opportunities lessons—and hopefully it’ll stand me in good stead in the coming years.