York & U is an electronic newsletter for applicants and prospective applicants to York.

Just because you’ve chosen to go to university doesn’t mean you have to know which program of study you want to take or the career you’re going to have for the rest of your life. Not knowing for sure can be very stressful for you, especially if you’re told that you’re supposed to know right out of school, but don’t let it get to you. Going to university will broaden and likely change your perspective of the world and yourself and the program you’ll want to study. The activities you get involved in – student groups, part-time jobs, exchange programs to study abroad – will radically expand your knowledge of yourself, your skills, what you find satisfying, what you find energizes you and what you find plain boring. You’ve got to allow yourself time to grow with your experiences.

It’s hard to imagine what changes will occur when you attend university and how differently you’re going to view yourself and the world around you. We know you’ve heard it before, but it’s true! What you think is important when you’re 18 or 19 is going to look very different when you’re 24 or 25. In our experience, even mature students making a career change may have doubts about the path they’ve chosen.

So, at the beginning of your university career, you may not know. You still might not know in your third or fourth year, but by then you’ll have had a chance to reflect and start deciding what might be possible for you based on what you’ve learned.

How do you make the process less stressful and more successful?

Check the York Web site to get an idea of the programs available.
York has a great program selection featuring more than 200 programs to choose from.

Then, hook up with the Career Centre and take advantage of everything they have to offer...

A major problem?
Not sure what to major in? We recommend that you check out the Careers and Choice of Major Web site. The site will help you identify options related to your major. Then, explore your own interests and motivations by taking the Career Planning Workshop (cost: $35) offered through York’s Career Centre.

Your academic adviser can also help you narrow down your choice of major during your advising appointment after you’ve been admitted to university.

Brain stuffed with too many questions? Take advantage of drop-in career advising. You don’t have to make an appointment, you don’t have to know your focus, you can just come into the Career Centre looking for information. Our career advisers are trained to help you clarify your questions and figure out ways of pointing you in the right direction to find answers. And the service is available to anyone who wants to come by the Career Centre.

The Career Centre has an online newsletter called The Career Connection, as well as a whole series of networking events to help students with develop networking skills. The Breakfast Club meetings — themed around careers in such areas as Communications, Fine Arts, Environmental Studies — are designed to help you make contact with York alumni and representatives from specific organizations. Learn all about the particular organization: how our alumni got into it, what’s good, what’s not so good, how the organization hires people and what they identify as job trends.
You can also reap the benefits of the Career Centre’s networking tips.

There are always opportunities to try on something you’ve never explored before, to try a new idea, try an experience. The discoveries you make will help you start getting a handle on what you like to do and what you don’t. Here are some ideas to start with:

Keep tabs on all special career-oriented events: Attend the career fairs hosted by our different faculties focusing on specific majors; ask about internships, entrepeneurship, job fairs, further education fairs and guest speakers on campus.

Enjoy your time at university. Go to different university events. Join one of the many student clubs and organizations.

The more informed you are of the things that are going on, the better for you.

York has a great Volunteer Centre, a branch of the Volunteer Centre of Toronto, that offers many opportunities for interested students.

York also has a great volunteer program called York is U, which allows our students to develop their professional skills and abilities in volunteer positions.

Connecting with the York community in a way that reflects your own interests and priorities is very powerful and can lead to job opportunities. When you find somebody who shares your interest, get together and talk. Do your research together, motivated by curiosity. The payback will be a kind of rapport that can turn into friendship.

Professors are also a great resource for you. Find a professor who’s engaged in activities outside the university, doing research that involves outside agencies and organizations, investigating issues relevant to you. There’s nothing a professor likes better than to have a conversation with someone who’s really interested in what they’re researching. So if you find somebody who is doing work in an area or context that intrigues you or for a cause that matters to you, connect with that person!

As a great person once said: Not knowing is more powerful than knowing for sure. Not knowing can lead to amazing discoveries – about yourself and about the world around you!

The steps you can take — right from first year — to make choosing a program/major and pursuing a career as hassle-free as possible.

Drop by the Career Centre to see what’s on offer. We’re located in the new Student Services Centre. Samples of upcoming events include: an Educational Information Session with New York Chiropractic College on March 23; a Breakfast Club meeting with the Faculty of Pure & Applied Science on March 24; and a webcast called Next Wave: Interviewing Skills for Scientists.
Talk to your academic adviser.
Use the online resources available. Start at the Current Students Web page and surf!

If you haven’t picked your major, consider the Careers and Choice of Major online workshop and visit your academic adviser. Try chatting with your professors to find out how they chose their career.
Experiment with different part-time jobs and volunteer opportunities to build your skills and employment experience. Don’t forget service bursaries.

Investigate your job options – talk to a Career Centre adviser. Your new skills can take you to places you never dreamt of!
Look into study abroad options offered by York International to really max out on the opportunities that are available to you.
Practice your job hunting skills: writing resumés, attending mock interviews, browsing job fairs, networking with possible employers on campus and off, job shadowing...

What do Career Centre workshops have to offer York students? Three kinds of skill-development workshops offered in three different formats to meet your needs. The format you choose all depends on how soon you need the skill development (yikes! The interview is tomorrow), your particular learning style (prefer face-to-face interaction? Comfortable in a virtual environment?) and the focus of your career search (are you a beginner or do you need more intensive coaching?).

The 15 Career CyberGuide workshops provide more than three hours of cutting-edge insights and innovative suggestions designed to help you direct your job search in today's dynamic workforce! Workshops include how to write a resumé, networking and job searching - abig advantage if you don’t have the time to attend in-person sessions.

There are two types of in-person workshops offered:

• Ninety minute workshops to fine-tune your resumé and cover letter strategies (not how to write 'em but rather how to use 'em to your advantage), networking skills and job search essentials. There is lots of coaching and practicing involved. Register early because these in-person workshops are capped at 20.
• The full-day intensive Career Planning workshop (so popular that attendance is capped at 12 - register early!) provides coaching from the experts. The interactive workshop is an excellent opportunity for you to delve into self-assessment and career exploration.

One-on-one career advising is also available during certain times. If you know what the problem is but you don't know how to articulate it, come on down! If you want to target your resumé content for a particular sector, practice your interview skills, learn how to conduct an effective job search or network with people in your chosen field, the career advising team members are there to support you. We'll help you develop a personal action plan!

We encourage all applicants to apply and submit documents well before our stated deadlines. Review this chart for details. Note that meeting deadlines and minimum admission requirements is not a guarantee of admission.

Have you submitted your Supplementary Admission Information Forms/Questionnaires for Dance, Film & Video or Fine Arts Cultural Studies? Check the Web site for dates.

Supplementary Admission Information Forms: Schulich School of Business; Collaborative Nursing

Entrance Scholarships for Canadian high-school applicants, other Canadian applicants and for international students.

There are always a wide variety of events planned for York students. Here are just a few of the events happening this month to give you a taste of life on campus and the services we provide our students. Some of them are open to the public; call ahead if you'd like to attend.

Canadian Writers in Person
April 1, 7:30pm
Anne Michaels
The aim of this reading series is to introduce students to some of the best contemporary Canadian fiction and poetry. Hearing the authors read their own words will add a dimension to the experience that’s unavailable from the printed page. The program is open to the public.

The Comedy of Errors
March 21 to 27, 7:30pm
Theatre @ York closes its successful season with a production of William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors. Playing at Burton Auditorium, this delightful comedy of mistaken identities will be directed by nationally acclaimed stage director Tom Diamond. For ticket costs and more information, visit the Web site.

York Jazz Festival
March 23 to 25
Three days and nights of hot riffs and cool licks. Drop in for great music and congenial company in a candle-lit club setting. Midday performances are free. Evening performances: $10/students $5. For a full list of performances, visit the Music department’s events calendar.

Race, Racism and Empire: The Local and The Global conference
Apr 29 to May 1
This three-day conference seeks to generate debate about the re-articulation of race in the current phase of globalization and its role in shaping contemporary politics and cultural constructions and practices at the local, national and global levels. Visit the CFR Conference Web site for more information.

Anthropology Speaker Series 2003-2004
April 2
The speaker is Dr. Ann Stoler, professor of Anthropology, History, and Women's Studies at the University of Michigan. Dr. Stoler's current work is focused on the politics of comparison between colonial empires, explored through matters of intimacy and North American history. The event is a co-sponsorship between the University of Michigan and the Toronto Women's Bookstore.

For more information about Events at York. . . .

Sachpreet Chandhoke
Chair, Roundtable Conference
BBA Candidate 2005, Schulich School of Business

Carpe Diem is an important concept to Sachpreet Chandhoke, as she seizes not only ‘the day’, but all possible opportunities open to her. Her interest in business is so broad that she can balance a number of different business subjects such as Economics, Marketing, Finance and Organizational Behaviour. Now in her third year at the Schulich School of Business, Sachpreet decided to specialize in Accounting and hopes to obtain the Chartered Accountant (CA) designation or pursue a career in consulting. Sachpreet says, “Admittedly, there are many areas of business that I enjoy and it was very difficult to decide on a specialization, but I understand that there will be future opportunities to study and learn more about business.” In fact, her interest in business has taken her very far, right to an International Studies scholarship from Export Development Canada (EDC). This opportunity will allow her to work in Ottawa during summer 2004 in a Markets Research Division position – a position that she requested.

Schulich is one of the top business schools in Canada, but that wasn’t the only thing that attracted her to this school. “I believe that the sense of community at Schulich is unparalleled. This can be attributed to the small program/class sizes and our frequent social activities. I have made some incredible friends, been taught by superb professors and had the opportunity to be part of a growing legacy.” Schulich has certainly helped her achieve her major successes. Still, it isn’t only Schulich that she appreciates, but York University as well.” The best thing about being a York student is the plethora of opportunities available to get involved. Although I’m only in third year, I’ve grown so much since I entered university and I’m excited to see what fourth year holds for me. I’ve had the chance to speak to many company representatives, network with high profile speakers, and seized every opportunity to prepare myself for life after my BBA.”

Sachpreet believes that to get the best out of your student experience, you have to throw yourself into student life. As she puts it, “For every experience in life, the more you put in, the more you will get out of it! University is a great training ground where you can build upon your strengths and convert your weaknesses into strengths. Take advantage of the precious time that you spend at university and challenge yourself to grow and achieve all your goals and dreams.”

Carpe Diem indeed.

Professor Susan Swan
Associate Professor, Humanities, Faculty of Arts

Susan Swan used to dream about writing. As a child, she would tell herself stories before falling asleep. All that practice in dream-time worked! Swan has become one of Canada’s most successful writers and her passion for writing has opened the door to exciting opportunities. Swan is not only an award-winning novelist but also a respected professor at York in the Humanities division, where she teaches creative writing. For Professor Swan, “the creative process is the way I make meaning of experience.”

Susan Swan was born in Midland, Ontario and educated at Havergal College and McGill University. She started in journalism with the Toronto Telegram and her journalism articles have appeared in mainstream publications in Canada, the U.S. and Britain. She was involved in theatre writing and performing in the 1970s. Swan maintains that her mother’s support of her writing during her formative years was “a true act of faith.” Her mother’s faith has paid off as Professor Swan was appointed York's Robarts' Millennial Scholar for 1999-2000.

There are many reasons Swan decided to teach at York: “I like York's funky, ad hoc interdisciplinary approach to learning. The departments are getting more specialized but the spirit of generous sharing is still strong in the Division of Humanities.” Furthermore, she adds that the wonderful thing about York is that many students are new to Canada and come from all different backgrounds. “I look at my students and think this is Canada now. And I love it.”

York is proud to have the prize-winning novelist teach in our classrooms:

• Her work has been published in 19 countries.
• Swan's new novel, What Casanova Told Me, will be published September 2004 by Knopf Canada.
• An new essay has appeared in the latest edition of Dropped Threads, Random House Canada, April 2003.
• Lost and Delirious – a film based on The Wives of Bath – has been released in 32 countries (including Canada, Germany and the U.S.). It stars Piper Perabo, Jessica Paré and Mischa Barton. Barton is currently on the breakthrough TV show The O.C., featured on CTV in Canada.
  
• The Biggest Modern Woman of the World was a finalist for Canada’s Governor General’s Award for Fiction and Smith’s Best First Novel Award and is currently being made into a film!
  
• Selections from Stupid Boys Are Good to Relax With have appeared in Granta and Ms. Magazine and are currently being adapted for television.

For more of Susan Swan’s accomplishments, visit here.

What advice does Swan have for prospective students interested in writing? “If you want to write, taking creative writing puts you in classes where literature and writing novels are the most important things in the world. You can't beat this for support. You will also learn some short cuts to achieving writing techniques that might take years to figure out on your own. And students will get a clear idea of what it's like to go out and be a professional writer. Even if students don't go on to have a writing career, they will become better readers.”

Professor Swan would like to be remembered for “creating stories of female characters whose mythic dimensions embody some of the dilemmas of contemporary life. I'd like these characters to be remembered, even if I'm not. There are great male characters in Western literature like Macbeth, Hamlet and Don Quixote etc. I'd like to leave behind some female characters in the pantheon that are as memorable.”