Some words of wisdom from a veteran George Brown College student

1. Check your George Brown College email.

You’ve accepted your offer of admission—congratulations! You now have an email address with George Brown College (GBC). All of your communication from the college will automatically be sent to this address. Your GBC email is your link to the college and your program. This information is vital to your success as a student, so check this email daily.

2. Register for your classes early.

Find the course code for your program, look up your registration time and pick your classes the second your time slot opens. Following these steps can mean the difference between having classes five days a week starting at 8 a.m. or having classes three days a week starting at noon.

3. Check your time table before classes start.

Once you’ve registered for classes, know who your professors are, your class times and class locations, it’s time to print out your timetable and relax, right? Wrong. Your time table can change right before classes begin, so check STU-VIEW constantly to keep up-to-date with any schedule changes.

4. Start looking for placements early.

Completing placements is often mandatory to graduate, so start your placement hunt as soon as you begin your program. Submit your police background check as early as possible as it may take months to process. Doing these things means you will have the first pick of placement options.

5. Textbooks are expensive.

After looking at your tuition fees, you may be smiling over the fact that they are lower than universities, savour that moment. Once you walk into the bookstore you’ll see that college textbooks are no less expensive than their university counterparts. So, to succeed in your courses be sure to account for all textbook costs.

6. Schedule time to find your classrooms.

The various GBC campuses are like mazes—they are rabbit tunnels composed of classrooms, computer labs and offices. You may need a map to help you navigate through them. Plan campus travelling time into your schedule.

7. If you need help, seek out student services.

George Brown has countless services to help students deal with issues ranging from coursework to counselling. The Student Association also has a number of offices set up specifically to deal with the needs and concerns of students that may be overlooked by the college.

8. Have a life outside of classes because school isn’t everything.

Obviously learning is important to you, otherwise you wouldn’t be enrolled in college. But there is more to life then getting that official piece of paper. Take time to engage in activities unrelated to academics. Balancing your social life and education will help you to succeed as a student.