Learning vital skills required for university and future job prospects is a fundamental aspect of education. We are constantly being prepared and equipped for the next stage of our lives. For me, Cegep was a place to cultivate the ideas I had for my own future. It taught me a variety of skills and topics that I find myself now using almost every day in university the most important of which is undoubtedly essay writing.
Aside from term papers, my university classes contain many multiple choice exams. The issue with standardized testing, however, is that it is based almost entirely on short term memory capabilities, whereas essays deal with a deeper understanding of the underlying concepts discussed throughout lectures. The courses I took at TAV had a large focus on essays with very few multiple choice examinations. This taught me how to understand material instead of memorizing it, which is proving to be the most effective way to retain knowledge.
If I could speak to my past self, I would probably suggest focusing less on simply getting my college diploma and worrying about the “R-Score,” and instead focus on what really matters: learning how to properly comprehend any given topic and find ways to make it as meaningful as possible. The most important thing I realized from speaking with any teacher was that it is much easier to learn when you are passionate about what it is you’re being taught. Finding a path is not so much about discovering what you are good at, but what interests you and can bring you closer to your desired future goal.
Another thing that I would tell myself is that an important part of Cegep is taking courses that span a variety of topics. Electives are not designed to fill your schedule for me, they are a way to broaden my horizons and learn many things that may lead to fields of interest that I had no idea about. These courses taught me topics, skills, art forms, and disciplines that I constantly use to construct essays, build thesis arguments, and cultivate my own perceptions of things I never would have had an interest in prior to taking these courses.
Looking back, there is very little that I would change from my TAV experience. I learned a lot of useful skills, met many interesting people, discovered leadership methods by working on group projects, and most importantly, made sure to always keep things positive because when learning becomes a burden, very little of what is taught gets retained.