My first semester at Camosun was hell. In June 2021, I graduated high school; the following September I started at Camosun with six courses and a part-time job. Little did I know that that was going to be a massive amount of work. Even though it at first seems like there isn’t much information you’d want other than what’s on your schedule in myCamosun, there are so many things I wish I’d cared enough to find out. So, in the spirit of the new fall semester, here are a few things that will, hopefully, make it easier for those new to Camosun (or for those returning students that could be doing things differently).
First days on campus
For the first couple days of classes there are a few things to be aware of, especially before getting into a routine or tight schedule. There’s the basic information the college will inform you of, like room numbers and a map of the campus, which are, obviously, important. What’s not on those lists, though, are things that just make life a little easier.
First off, never hesitate to ask questions in person at Camosun Student Services (second left through the main entrance of the Fisher Building) or online. The Camosun website is surprisingly easy to search through after a couple tries. The Camosun College Student Society (find them on the main floor of Fisher, around the corner from the cafeteria) is also always there to help out students.
What the college’s website won’t tell you is that empty classrooms are up for grabs for students to hang out or do work in. This is an especially great option if the library is full or if you prefer to work in private. The Ewing building’s computer labs and the auditorium in the Young building are included in this, by the way. It can take time to find the right one, as people may file in and a class may start while you’re sitting in the room, but then you just move on.
You have a couple options when it comes to looking for snacks on campus. At Lansdowne, if we’re talking cost/benefit, you’re better off just walking down to Hillside Centre’s food court. Your next best bet is the cafeteria on campus, because their fries and chocolate croissants are actually incredible. As for beverages, By the Books cafe is pretty good, but expensive; the cafeteria’s coffee is cheaper and is tolerable if you mix it with hot chocolate. (I can’t speak to the food options at Interurban because my classes were all at Lansdowne, but they do have both the Chargers Cafe and the Helmut Huber Culinary Arts Centre, which is a professional cook training cafeteria.)
If you’re a smoker/vaper, you have a couple of options in where you take a puff. There is no smoking on campus other than the designated smoke pits. You’ll find the best pit on the Lansdowne campus, with covered picnic benches, near the outdoor classroom between Dawson and the library. An easy enough back-up option is just walking off campus to any of the roads bordering the college.
Pay attention
Camosun instructors and staff give a lot of advice that may get overlooked because, let’s face it, there’s a lot of information to take in at first, and because new environments are a bit nerve wracking. Looking back at it now, there are definitely things I wish I had paid more attention to.
For example, the general student orientation events can be a good use of your time. These events can familiarize you with the campus and the various services or opportunities that you can take advantage of while at Camosun, and can also be a way to meet other students. I never went to the orientation days and there are a lot of things I missed because of that.
The Writing Center and Learning Skills service is one of the things that I missed learning about at orientation. If you have any problems with writing, or just need a little help adjusting to new teaching styles, definitely check it out. They can see students through booked appointments, or, if you’re in a rush, they can assess one of your assignments online.
A rather tired piece of advice on assignments that actually helps is to start them as soon as possible. It will give you more of a personal life and allow for unexpected life distractions to not derail your school workload. It will also allow you to ask questions to your teacher if you’re struggling with an assignment. You can do this in your instructor’s office hours; these should be taken advantage of because there’s nothing more helpful than direct one-on-one time with your teachers.
However, if you don’t get an assignment started in enough time to properly finish it, you can usually ask for an extension. Just be sure to ask for one as soon as possible, because asking within 24 hours of the deadline isn’t a good look. Teachers at Camosun are generally really nice and most likely will understand if you need a little bit more time. If it’s too late to ask for an extension, and too late to finish the assignment, handing work in late is most often accepted for two weeks past the deadline (this depends on the instructor and course, of course). Marks will be taken off, but it’s better than nothing.
Your syllabus also needs a fair amount of attention. If the last time you were in school was high school, the syllabus’ main purpose for you might simply be nothing more than a bookmark separating courses in your binder. However, college syllabuses are far more important and should be reviewed almost every week, depending on how organized you are. Reading your syllabus over will also save you from asking slightly embarrassing questions when the answer is right in front of you.
If you’re a transit user, make sure you don’t forget about the discounted rates on bus fare through the college’s U-pass cards. As U-passes are part of your student fees, a student ID card automatically includes the ability to be used as a U-pass, along with many other things (see the Camosun website for more details). Student fees are something all students should look into—tuition and fees are expensive so you should get all that you can from them. Student services, clubs, health and dental care, and even Nexus are all benefits of your student fees.
What you may not have heard
You’d imagine that all of the information you’d need would be included in the seemingly endless amount of information dealt out in the first couple weeks of class. But there’s so much that is, surprisingly, left out.
How to find information on D2L is a big one, especially considering the fact that every teacher uses D2L differently. So take the time to figure out where each one of your teachers puts their information on D2L. Almost everything you need to know about your course will be on D2L, and if you can’t find it, ask your teacher where it is. Within a course page on D2L there are multiple subtopics. You can also find out how much each assignment or test is worth in a course.
If you’re trying to access D2L on campus but can’t because the school’s WiFi is limited, try out the Eduroam network. It’s the best wifi on campus.
Another tutorial that’s missing from most information sessions is how to keep up to date with deadlines. For due dates there are a couple different ways to keep track of assignments and flipped classroom homework (where you do the homework assigned to that day prior to class). Personally, I would advise you to do them all because courses can get chaotic. First, there is the Pulse app; it’s a lifesaver and will notify any information that your teacher posts to D2L, such as grades, changes in class meeting plans, or information for the course. You could also enable notifications on D2L. You can choose from text or email, and decide what you want to be notified about. I went to the extreme on notifications when I found out about it, and it got very annoying, but you can always re-adjust after turning them all on. Writing everything down is also important, because—trust me—information can easily slip your mind until your teacher reminds you the day after it’s due.
Past-due reminders are a great example of why attending class in college is way more important than in high school, especially when it comes to completing assignments. Depending on your teacher, attending as many classes as possible will give you so much more information that isn’t available online, and you won’t get blindsided by assignments.
On the other hand, there are some things you don’t need. There are notable exceptions here, but for lots of classes, you most likely don’t need to buy all of your textbooks. Depending on your class, you can just take thorough notes, review class slides (usually posted in the content section of D2L), or find legit online versions of the text. However, if you’ve already got your textbooks and you don’t end up using them, the Camosun College Student Society has an app where students regularly post their used textbooks for sale. This app is also a great alternative if you haven’t got your books and find out you need to have them, because then you’re getting a discounted rate and helping out another student.
Along with these reading materials are the mass amounts of assigned readings you’ll be given throughout the year. If you’re behind in your readings, use skimming techniques (first and last sentence of a paragraph) to still come to class at least somewhat prepared when you’re behind.
The most important prep work, though, is for exams. It might feel way too early in the year to start thinking about exams, but they will sneak up on you quickly, and they matter a lot more in college than in high school. The most common kind of exam at Camosun that I’ve come across is the open-book exam. These exams, especially for English, have harder questions than closed-book exams. If your teacher gives you the questions beforehand, take advantage of the extra time and spend the exam perfecting your answers and adjusting them to the question. Digital notes, if allowed, are great for this.
Speaking of final assessments, you should try to remember to save content from your classes at the end of the semester. Seeing as how you’re paying for the information that you’re given during each course, you should consider keeping what you can for future reference. I know I probably sound like every teacher out there, but this could be useful to have later on. Once the semester ends, your access to the course will be closed and all of that valuable information will be lost to you unless you save it.
Getting personal
Your personal life also needs some attention. There are a lot of misconceptions about what college should be like that end up making your life harder. Take it from someone who had to take summer courses and almost failed because I thought working three new jobs while studying would be manageable.
Not preparing for the worst is a great example of this. It’s a common theme among college students that they should be pushed to their breaking point because they’re young, or that being a student is easier than being part of the workforce. Yet, depending on what experience you have in college, it will be a really hard adjustment. So, work/life balancing is a great idea, no matter how cliche of a suggestion it is. This is because, inevitably, the work becomes harder—not easier—as the semester goes on. Putting less on your plate will allow for life to happen and potential setbacks to pop up without derailing your life.
Similarly, the best advice I ignored was that the all-nighter should be a last resort, and it’s not a sustainable option. It was the first piece of advice that my mom gave me, and I didn’t listen to it, but I should have. Instead of pushing through fatigue and producing work that is not up to your capabilities, getting some sleep and waking up with more organized thoughts will make finishing your work easier.
Then there’s the disparaged sources of help that many don’t utilize because of their stigmatization. For example, asking questions in class. Even though it might be slightly nerve wracking to stick up your hand and ask a question that might be stupid, you should. Yes, it might be slightly annoying to pause the lesson, and you may look like an idiot for missing it on the page right in front of you, but it’s better than guessing the answer and getting it wrong.
Above all, the best advice or recommendation I would give a Camosun student, whether you are new or returning, is to be diligent. It’s really easy to fall behind, lose track of the important stuff, and burn out. Remember that the first semester is the hardest, because it takes time to adjust and find a rhythm that works for you. Trust me: I went through it.
So here’s hoping that the advice from my hell can make your first semester heaven.