PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY MOLLY SIMPSON / SPUTNIK PHOTOGRAPHY

Further education is a possibility for many students thinking of what to do after graduation.

During March, the Career Centre is running Plan Ahead for Further Ed Month, a variety of workshops students can attend, centred around pursuing further education, the application process after graduation, standardized entry testing processes such as the LSAT and more.

Each institution and program has a unique application process when it comes to further education. Many students often find themselves confused about requirements and deadlines for each program they are applying to.

“It is really important for students to fully understand what each institution or program looks for in their application,” said Emma Scholtz, further education and employment consultant for Laurier Brantford’s Career Centre. 

Luckily, the Career Centre is here to assist students having difficulties with future career planning, employment education and planning for further education.

“If they have an idea that they want to pursue further education then we can go through some programs with them, but we can also help with the entire process,” said Scholtz.

“I used the Career Centre throughout the whole process, they helped me look into law careers and paralegal careers in order to figure out what to do,” said Vanessa Brown, a fourth-year Human Rights and Human Diversity student.

In the fall, Brown will be attending Fanshawe’s paralegal program. She initially planned on attending law school, but later decided that it was not the right path for her. Instead, she contacted the Career Centre for other options and decided on becoming a paralegal.

She found the application process to be pretty simple and kept track of the requirements specific to Fanshawe.

“I’m excited to take my learning from this school and apply it to my schooling in Fanshawe,” said Brown.

Some students choose to further their education to gain more experience.

“I decided to go to college after my undergrad because I feel as though my career options are limited with my university degree as my there are hardly any opportunities to gain experience,” said Éric Sanderson, a fourth-year criminology student who will be attending Collège Boréal for public administration.

Like Brown, Sanderson found the application process fairly simple, especially considering the website through which he applied was similar to the one through which he applied for university. 

“I’m really excited to be able to pursue my education in French as it is my native language and opportunities to learn in only French are limited in Ontario,” said Sanderson.

There are a variety of different reasons for pursuing further education and a variety of different ways to go about doing so. To help with any confusion, the Career Centre is available.

Many of these events are brief to account for students’ busy schedules, and deal with questions that many students have in common, such as asking for references and getting experience. 

Students should start preparing for further education “whenever they’re ready,” said Scholtz, if that is the correct path for them.

Regardless of what path a student chooses, it is always best to be prepared for the future.

Students can sign up for the events taking place during Plan Ahead for Further Ed Month through Navigator.