What do I know now at the beginning of second year that I wish I knew at the beginning of first year?

 Here is our favourite response:

 For starters, I wish I knew not to trust the rez washers and dryers, so I might not have a drawer full of pink socks and underwear that were once white. I wish I was smarter about caffeine and that I used it sparingly rather than developing a severe exam-time addiction and suffering withdrawal periods after. More importantly, though, I had to learn the hard way to budget my time properly.　

 There were always friends hanging around and something fun going on in rez, so choosing which nights were study nights versus party nights was tough. It took a while to find my own comfortable middle ground and concentrate on what I had to get done, ignoring everyone else when it seemed like I was the only one going to school (and it always seems like that…).

 Too much time in the library can definitely be just as draining as too much partying.　

I wish I knew when I started school in September that the people who talk about how “it’s just first year” and “first year doesn’t matter” don’t actually know what they are talking about. First year counts for your GPA just as much as second, third, and fourth, and who wants to dig themselves out of the ditch they made when they were just lazy freshman year?

 Everyone works at his or her own pace. I met some amazing, brilliant kids who started papers the night before, worked until dawn and got A’s and B’s. I learned that I, however, am not one of those people, and I need to start papers at least a week in advance to get B’s.　

 I preferred going to lectures as opposed to listening to them recorded online, because even if I was just there to eat, sleep or do sporcle quizzes in the back, I was comforted that none of the material would look new and horrifying when I was studying later. There is nothing scarier than trying to listen to months of lectures you never got around to one week before an exam.

 Even without knowing any of these things, or how to find a book in the library, it was really comforting for me to realize that everyone was in the same boat and there to help each other succeed, or fail miserably laughing together.

Lucy Cameron, McGill 2013

The survey, which sought to gain insight into college and career readiness issues, polled 160 guidance counsellors, 120 [university students] and up to 100 recent high school and [university] graduates who are in the workplace today.

Guidance counsellors indicated that they tend to focus on student populations who represent the extremes of the achievement spectrum, with more than 50 percent of their time spent dealing with students who may not graduate, and 36 percent of their time spent on those who are [university] bound. Guidance cousellors also pointed toward [university] ‘eligibility’ as a measure of student success, as opposed to ‘readiness’ with nearly 70 percent of respondents defining success as a student receiving a high school diploma. [University] students, however, indicated that they could have been better prepared to meet [university] academic standards and relied primarily on close friends and family members as mentors.

“Ensuring that our students are prepared to reach their academic and professional goals goes beyond closing the gap between what high schools teach and what [universities] expect,: said Jeff Livingston, senior vice-president of McGraw-Hill Education’s College and Career Readiness Centre. “This survey confirms what we’ve long believed and are striving to change in the educational system; the distinction between [university] eligible and [university] ready. Being eligible for [university] is simply not good enough in the global economy of the 21^st century; our high school students must be richly and rigorously prepared for a lifetime of learning and professional development.”

According to the survey, nearly half of recent high school graduates feel they did not choose the right career – 81 percent felt practical work experience would have helped then make a better choice and an overwhelming amount (96 percent) said that an internship would have made then feel better prepared for the work force. The top three areas where graduates would have liked to receive further instruction in high school/[university] included technology applications (31 percent) and communication skills (28 percent). Further, 72 percent of [university] graduates selected time management as the biggest differentiator between high school and [university], which remained a common theme, as the majority (43 percent) also identified time management as an area where they would have like further instruction in high school.

www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mcgraw-hill-survey-provides-insight-into . . .

But, is taking a gap year the right choice for you? Here are some advantages and disadvantages to help you decide what is best for you in terms of postponing university and taking a year off.

Berklee Music-Week 3

                Week 3 was quite similar class schedule wise, but Monday, I had an exciting addition to my day. In the afternoon, I went to the Vinx Recording Studio, and was able to record myself singing along with a track. The studio was very nice, and the equipment was of very high quality, but we didn’t have a lot of time individually as there were many people signed up, wanting a spot. Vinx was there himself, and he is a very talented musician as we heard him perform in the first week of classes. He teaches the Singers Drum Circle, which is an optional elective, and asked me to come check it out later that day. After a performance by Terri Lynn Carrington, a very accomplished drummer who now teaches at Berklee, I went to the Singers Drum Circle class. We basically sat in a room and looked at pictures and we would go around the circle expressing how the picture made us feel, what was the story behind the picture and exercising our creativity and lyric writing skills. It was very interesting and thought provoking.

                Tuesday and Wednesday were busy as always, we learnt a lot of the music that we will be performing in Musical Theatre class, and worked on background vocals for the song Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, which is a lot of fun to sing. In Rhythm and Grooves, I chose to sing the song Cry Me a River and it went really well and everyone loved it.

                On Thursday we had a quiz in theory, which I think went fairly well, and then afterwards I met my friend Gabrielle who was in my a cappella group in Montreal and is now graduated and working in Boston. We had a nice picnic lunch in the park and caught up on lost time. Later that evening I had my music business class where we focused on the importance of live performing, which was very interesting, and then after dinner headed home.

                Friday, I only had one class because my ensemble was cancelled, so I took the afternoon off and relaxed before my BIG exciting weekend! My friend and I were heading off to New York City for the weekend! We took the bus at 5:30, which was more like 7:00 because the bus got delayed. The bus was only 4 hours and cost $20 each way…we couldn’t NOT go! We arrived late in the evening, around 11pm and made our way to our hotel, The Paramount located in the middle of Times Square. The hotel wasamazing, and the location was perfect, but when we walked into the room we realized why we got such a good deal. The room was tiny, with a double bed for the both of us. We managed to fit and the bed was comfortable enough to make up for the lack of space, so in the end we were quite happy with the living situation.

                Early the next morning, we got on the subway headed for South Station, the very south tip of Manhattan. From there we took a ferry headed for Staten Island, that we thought was heading for the Statue of Liberty, but was quite enjoyable anyways. We got a lovely view of the city and it was free! Afterwards, we found the actual line-up, and it was ridiculously long, taking hours to get to a boat to take you to the Statue of Liberty. We decided not to waste our time and took a few pictures with the little statue in the far of distance, just to prove we were there. Then, we took the subway back and met up with my friend from university who lives in New York. We then went to Whole Foods and got some food to have a picnic in Central Park. We were extremely lucky that we had such wonderful weather, and it was such a relaxing time sitting on a blanket in the sun. We later went to get changed and had dinner at Blue Fin before seeing a Broadway show. The show was called Next To Normal and was about a dysfunctional family, with a mother struggling with anxiety and depression. Although it was depressing at parts, and I definitely heard some people sniffling in the back, the music was very beautiful and powerful, and I am very glad we chose to see it. By the time the show was over, it was quite late, but we decided to venture to the Empire State Building to see the 360 degree view from the 86^th floor. It was definitely the highlight of the trip and definitely worth the wait and money.

                Sunday morning we woke up early to try and catch the early service at a church in Harlem. We were hoping to hear the gospel music and experience the life and vivaciousness of the people. The subway unfortunately was not running train into Harlem that weekend and we ended up at the end of the line and off the map. We hoped into a cab and got to the church only a couple minutes after the service was scheduled to begin. Unfortunately for us “tourists” had to wait in a separate line, and it was too late for us to enter the early service, and we would have to wait two more hours. We had to check out of the hotel by noon, so we could not catch the later service, but we had an interesting time walking through Harlem and trying to get back home. After a wellneeded nap we went to SoHo and did some shopping and then returned to Time Square to collect our luggage and return to the bus. It was a really great trip and I’m so glad that we were able to fit it in with our busy schedules. Although I developed a bit of a cold while I was away, I’ll try and get some rest now that I’m back.

Miss you lots,

Renée Massé

Berklee Music – Week 2

It has been another very full week here at Berklee Five Week Summer Program. Monday’s classes are larger, and broader. I had Survey of Vocal Styles, which focuses on the history of music, and showcases the key musicians of various genres throughout time. Afterwards, everyone has the same class together in the Berklee Performance Centre where we had Melissa Ferrick, who is a professional musician come and speak with us about her experience and perform as well.

Tuesday was my busy day, filled with theory, musicianship and private lessons. That evening I had Musical Theatre class, where we practiced for our auditions that would be occurring the following day. The auditions would be at the ‘New York’ level and we were required to have a headshot and resume, and come prepared with our song.

Wednesday I had a Rhythm and Grooves class, which I was quite excited but nervous about. We had to pick a swing tune and write the chart which the chords on it for the band, and perform and direct the band as we were doing it. It was quite exciting seeing the chords and music that we arranged come to life, but it will take some getting used to when conducting the band. Later that evening we had our musical theatre auditions, which went very well, we only had to prepare 32 bars of a song and sing it for our teachers. Once that was over my friend and I went to a concert at the Red Room, which is Boston’s only all-age performing space. The venue features many of Berklee’s up-and-coming bands, and at one point featured bands like Owl City and Passion Pit which are now, very well known. The concert I went to see showcased Super Volcano, a heavy metal band which was definitely NOT my style of music, and Ann Driscoll a well-known Berklee singer-songwriter.

Thursday I only have a couple classes, so I took the opportunity to get my hair cut at one of Boston’s many salons. Afterwards, I decided to explore the city a bit more, by venturing a little out of my regular path. My mother will be coming to visit me during the last week, so I went to see what her hotel was like and how close it would be to my classes. I discovered this beautiful pool behind the church that I walked past every day, and in thewarmth and sun, was extremely relaxed and content walking along it and felt very much at peace.

Friday I had an ensemble class, where we practice songs in a small group that will later be performing at the end of the program, this class is probably my favourite because we get to sing well known songs and improvise. After class I went to a coffee shop and sat down with my theory homework and decided to learn everything that we have been doing (the teacher for the course is a very nice gentleman, but he tends to skim through a lot of the material and go on tangents about his life, which while it can be entertaining, is not going to get me a good grade on the quiz next week) I decided that I would just have to learn the material on my own time, which is a bit annoying considering we have a lot of class during the day as it is. After a couple of tedious hours, my brain had had enough, so I met up with my friend to go out for a nice dinner. The weather unfortunately was not in agreement with our plans and made it extremely difficult for us to get somewhere somewhat dry. Once dinner was over, and the clouds and rain had finally gone away, we went to the Caf Show, which is a concert where full-time Berklee students can perform for us. The band that was playing, apparently are competing to open for John Mayer, and are currently in first place. Needless to say they were very impressive and performed many original pieces as well as covers.

Saturday, I met up with my Italian friend and her roommate and we walked along Newbury Street, Boston’s main ‘shopping street’. It was a beautiful and warm day, so we decided to keep walking through this park at the end of the street which has a little lake in the middle of it. We continued onwards towards Quincy Market for lunch, which was extremely busy on Saturday afternoon, but very pleasant. By the time we got back, we had been walking for about three and a half hours, and my feet were exhausted. I came back home for a bit and then later went to the practice rooms to do some homework.

The next day, I met some friends to do a bit more shopping, and then we took the bus to Cambridge to go see an a cappella concert near Harvard Square. The group was called Syncopation and they were only a four person group, but very talented. It was nice to leave the ‘bubble’ that we are in every day and see a bit more of Boston. Afterwards we ventured out a littlefurther to try and see more of Harvard, but the campus is so spread out that we were unable to find the grand entrance that I was hoping for, that I have seen in many  movies, but settled for the only sign we found (which was extremely pathetic in my opinion J ). Another great week in Boston, and I am looking forward to what happens in week three!

Miss you all,

Love,

Renée Massé

Berklee Music-Week 1

Although the program has only been going on for a week, I feel as though I have been here for much longer. I finally feel settled in to this city, but the journey was slightly bumpy. The first day my flight was cancelled, but I was able to get a later flight. After arriving in Toronto, I had about an hour to retrieve my luggage and make my connection to Boston. Even after running to the luggage stop, my luggage was nowhere to be found. I waited about an hour and a half, but finally decided to run and catch my flight to Boston with what I had on my back…which was not much. After arriving in Boston at about 10:30pm, I spoke with the Air Canada baggage claim lady and was on my way in a taxi to my new home for the next month. I had specific instructions to retrieve the home key in a pile of mulch next to a column of my roommate’s friend’s apartment hidden under a takeout menu. Although in principle this seemed like an easy task, upon arrival I feared I would not have a place to sleep that night. The patch of mulch is about 16 metres squared and there is not a streetlamp nearby, so as the taxi is waiting for me, I climb into the mulch with the little light from my cellphone and set upon a meek search. With a little help from some random guys who probably thought I was nuts, I found the hidden keys and hoped back into the cab and arrived safely into my new apartment.

Day 2 I had to sign up at orientation and get my Berklee ID card. After forgetting my passport and having to return back home to obtain it, I was officially a Berklee Summer Student and the city was my oyster. I quickly found Boston’s main shopping street and got myself an outfit, considering I only had what I wore on the plane…which was not the best considering the weather conditions.

Day 3, still no sight of my luggage, I have my audition for my placement in the program. The audition went quite well and afterwards I had a musical and theory placement exam, which also went splendidly. I made a friend called Renee from New Jersey while I was waiting in line which was quite exciting, and that night I attended a concert by a band called The Tower of Power which was put on by Berklee, and was very entertaining.

Day 4 was Academic Orientation, but was really mostly the Faculty putting on concerts for us. It was very neat to see how talented the staff was, and who our mentors would be over the course of the Five Weeks. I also had my first Chorus practice, which was interesting; the choir director is a bit nuts and taught us the “Earth Breath” which channels the energy of the Earth into you…. Later on that evening I finally received my luggage and was thrilled to finally be able to unpack!

On Tuesday we obtained our schedules and started classes. I had a theory class (which I am actually in quite a high level for vocalists), a private lesson, a musicianship course where we develop our ear training skills, and a background vocal lab where we learn to be backup singers. That night were the auditions for the Five Week Performance Showcase, where 5 students are chosen to perform at the end of the program. I waited about 3 hours to sing 60 seconds, and I was one of the earlier people! Needless to say about 400 people auditioned, and the odds were NOT in my favour, but I am still glad I took the opportunity, and was very pleased with my audition.

Wednesday I had another musicianship class, a class called Rhythm Section Grooves, where we learn to direct the band so that people don’t think that Vocalists are ‘stupid’ and that we have some idea of what we are doing. Our assignment for next week is to prepare a swing tune, and I have chosen “Orange Colored Sky”. Afterwards I had a lab for Pop/R&B where I was very unimpressed by the lack of organization of the teacher, considering she wasted about half of class preparing photocopies. Then later that evening I had a Musical Theatre Class, we will perform 5 songs at the end of the Five Weeks, and will be having auditions for the solos next week.

Thursday I had musicianship and theory once again and then a long break until my elective: Music Business, it was quite a large class, but it appears to be very interesting, and I am looking forward to learn more throughout the weeks. Afterwards from 8-10pm I had another Choir practice, and went to bed!

Friday was nice, because I only have two classes, musicianship and ensemble, where we learnt Chain of Fools, and another song called Emotional Rollercoaster, and we will be performing two pieces at the end of the five weeks!

On Saturday, I went with some friends to the closest beach to Boston, called Revere Beach, which was America’s First Public Beach. The water was pretty cold, but we still went in, and soaked up the warm sun. There was also a sandcastle contest going on which was really impressive! I also took the ‘T’ which is Boston’s public transportation system, like the Metro.

So far, this looks like it’s going to be a very exciting experience, and I’ve already learnt lots! I’ll keep you all posted.

Miss you all,

Love,

Renée Massé

APPLICATIONS FOR REGISTRATION ARE UP FROM LAST YEAR, AND THAT MEANS THE CUT-OFF WILL BE HIGHER…PROBABLY REQUIRING A GRADE POINT AVERAGE OF ABOUT 75 PER CENT FOR STUDENTS COMING DIRECTLY OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL. LAST YEAR, THE CUT-OFF WAS IN THE LOW SEVENTIES.

A SPOKESPERSON SAYS THE UNIVERSITY DOESN’T PRETEND TO KNOW WHY APPLICATIONS ARE UP THIS YEAR…IT COULD BE THE ECONOMY, OR EFFECTIVE RECRUITING.

WHAT THEY DO KNOW IS THAT UNDERGRADUATE APPLICATIONS ARE UP ABOUT 2 1/2 PER CENT, AND GRADUATE APPLICATIONS HAVE JUMPED SEVEN PER CENT. LAW SCHOOL APPLICATIONS IN PARTICULAR ARE UP A WHOPPING 30 PER CENT. 

http://www.cfax1070.com/newsstory.php?newsId=14466

The survey, which sought to gain insight into college and career readiness issues, polled 160 guidance counsellors, 120 [university students] and up to 100 recent high school and [university] graduates who are in the workplace today.

Guidance counsellors indicated that they tend to focus on student populations who represent the extremes of the achievement spectrum, with more than 50 percent of their time spent dealing with students who may not graduate, and 36 percent of their time spent on those who are [university] bound. Guidance cousellors also pointed toward [university] ‘eligibility’ as a measure of student success, as opposed to ‘readiness’ with nearly 70 percent of respondents defining success as a student receiving a high school diploma. [University] students, however, indicated that they could have been better prepared to meet [university] academic standards and relied primarily on close friends and family members as mentors.

“Ensuring that our students are prepared to reach their academic and professional goals goes beyond closing the gap between what high schools teach and what [universities] expect,: said Jeff Livingston, senior vice-president of McGraw-Hill Education’s College and Career Readiness Centre. “This survey confirms what we’ve long believed and are striving to change in the educational system; the distinction between [university] eligible and [university] ready. Being eligible for [university] is simply not good enough in the global economy of the 21^st century; our high school students must be richly and rigorously prepared for a lifetime of learning and professional development.”

According to the survey, nearly half of recent high school graduates feel they did not choose the right career – 81 percent felt practical work experience would have helped then make a better choice and an overwhelming amount (96 percent) said that an internship would have made then feel better prepared for the work force. The top three areas where graduates would have liked to receive further instruction in high school/[university] included technology applications (31 percent) and communication skills (28 percent). Further, 72 percent of [university] graduates selected time management as the biggest differentiator between high school and [university], which remained a common theme, as the majority (43 percent) also identified time management as an area where they would have like further instruction in high school.

www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mcgraw-hill-survey-provides-insight-into

At the Conference, Dr Rick Miner, former president of Seneca College, discussed the findings of his report on Canadian labour market projections, “People without Jobs, Jobs without People.”  He promised equal doses of elation and depression for us all.

Demographics: In Canada we simultaneously are experiencing drastic demographic shifts and huge changes in educational attainment. As anyone who has heard me speak on emerging trends already knows, the baby boom generation is approaching retirement and the traditional working-age Canadian will drop from 70% of the population to just over 50%. In 2021, the number of retirees will start to exceed the working population in many parts of the country. By 2031 the labour force participation rate will drop about 10%, to below 60%, and population will flatten, resulting in a labour force deficit of as much as 4 million workers. The dependency ratio (youth and seniors as a percentage of working-age) will rise from 44% to over 60% by 2031 — so while this generation will be highly employable, they will likely be highly taxed as well.

Workforce needs:  About 25% of job classifications are new every 25 years, and “old” jobs are transformed every 15 years. Every job demands more and more Post-secondary Education (PSE) over time — a knowledge economy demands knowledge workers. A range of studies project 65-81% of the workforce will need PSE — so the PSE shortfall is projected to be 16 million by the Lumina Foundation. Futurist Adam Gordon projects new job titles like: body part manufacturer, memory augmentation surgeon, weather modification police, and social networking workers.  When the labour market shortfall is combined with increasing unemployment for those without appropriate education, the skill shortage will climb to 3.4 million by 2031. Canadian institutions will need to graduate more than 100,000 students a year.

Solutions:  Canada’s options are: increase immigration, and/or increase labour market participation by aboriginals, persons with disabilities, youth and/or seniors. It takes 10 years for immigrants to Canada to gain employment at the same rate as established Canadians, either because of credential recognition, language or cultural barriers. With labour market participation of just 55% among people with disabilities, there is huge potential to increase the workforce through accommodations. Female participation in the workforce could be increased through enhanced childcare options. Young people could be accelerated into the workforce through year-round schooling, joint university-college programs, the return of 3-year BA degrees, the improvement of high school, and attitudinal changes toward high school completion and PSE. Recent surveys have found that 42% of baby boomers are hoping for “cyclical employment” in retirement. Employers are less willing than employees to contemplate flexible approaches to retirement.

[Dr. Miner] also suggests that forcing high school students to choose a stream in grade 9 is far too young. We need to stop viewing retirement as an all-or-nothing proposition. We also need to address shockingly low rates of functional literacy (around 60% in Canada).  We need faster and anticipatory models of program renewal. There may be growing demand for modular, onsite, technology-based delivery of education. Hopefully there will be greater cooperation between universities and colleges. Industry needs to do more training of their workforce, and explore more flexible retirement plans.

 http://www.academica.ca/ACCC2010

SAT BOOT CAMP – August 23^rd to August 27^th, 9:00-12:00.  A week long intensive course focusing on the Writing, Reading, Math and Essay Sections of the SAT exam. Also includes test taking strategies, “beating” the exam, time management, and crossover skills to the ACT exam.

US ADMISSIONS BOOT CAMP – August 30^th to September 2nd , 9:00-12:00. A comprehensive overview of the US admissions process: focusing on essay writing, the Common Application, supplements, activities summaries, list evaluation (stretch, reach, likely), etc. 

INTRODUCTION TO PRINCIPLES OF MATHEMATICS 12 – August 23^rd to August 27^th, 2:00-5:00.  A one week intensive course introducing the concepts of the Principles of Mathematics 12 course for students entering grade 12 math. (This course is preparatory and not for credit).

INTRODUCTION TO CALCULUS – August 30^th to September 3 ^rd, 2:00-5:00.   A one week blitz of differential and integral calculus and applications, with emphasis on understanding the concepts and methods. For students entering Calculus 12, AP Calculus, or first year university calculus. (This course is preparatory and not for credit).

UNIVERSITY SEND-OFF – August 20^th, 1:00-3:30. The goal of this session is to set grade 12s up for post-secondary success from an academic and non-academic perspective. Topics covered will include: understanding how to learn in a post-secondary environment, organizing one’s time, familiarizing oneself with the university resources, balancing one’s life, etc.

All sessions are at the West Vancouver office.  If you are interested in any of these sessions, please contact us for more information or check out the blog for more information in upcoming weeks.