Students scramble with applications (less than 2 months to go!)

High school students and others have until January 14th, 2009 to have their applications received to attend Nipissing University next year. Students apply through an online application system and, like all great websites, it can be found on the World Wide Internet! I put myself through this online process again this year but this time to apply to Teachers' College. Apparently it is now known as the Faculty of Education and yesterday I had my hand slapped (figuratively) by an Education Professor (literally) for using the old Teachers' College term.

So, if you are one of those students like me who waits last minute for everything (really, why do something today when you can put it off and do it tomorrow?) and are still considering Nipissing as an option, here's a list of 6 reasons that might convince you to apply.

1) NU is located in North Bay, not Thunder Bay. That is 4 hrs, not 14 hrs your home depending on where you live in southern Ontario (most students who attend Nip come from S. Ontario). It is far enough away to escape those pesky adults you call your parents but not too far that you can't visit them if you miss them (read: to do your laundry, eat an actual meal, and get more money for "textbooks").

2) You actually know who your professor is by name. They are open to seeing you in office hours and actually acknowledge you outside of class. And the main difference from high school? Some will even take part in academic discussion with you while sipping on beverages at the local watering hole.

3) All your classes will likely be in one building. This means that you won't have to struggle with a 20 minute walk across campus to get from one class to another. High school students with a certain average are guaranteed a spot in residence (rated # 1 in Canada according to the Globe and Mail) and unlike shared dorms at other universities, you won't have to share your single room with some grime-covered stranger.

4) The landscape of the campus will change while you are here. With a new research wing half-complete and a new library and student centre on the way, you will witness a transforming campus that will see more buildings and better services.

5) There are endless opportunities to get involved in student life outside of the lecture room. Look ahead to a future blog entry about this subject and important aspect of the "NU Experience."

6) You will actually know some of your fellow classmates. NU is one of the smallest universities in Ontario, and unlike the behemoth U of T's, Yorks, and Westerns, you won't feel left out when you attend class. The folks who you meet on Day 1 might also be in your Intro English class. Now you have 2 things in common!

For even more information about NU, click here.

Welcome to Fourth Year

Welcome to the ritual; the rite of passage. After labouring through what seemed at the time like three long and unmanageable years of undergraduate study at Nipissing University, I have come to the point where the rubber meets the road. To be a adult male chauvinist: this separates the men from the boys. This is fourth year. This is university.

It was just three years ago, in June of 2005, that I left high school with my diploma in hand while simultaneously greeting the prospect of post-secondary education with open arms. I quickly accepted my offer from NU and tried to imagine what studying history at such an advanced level would be like. It wasn't quite what is expected. There was no determined memorization of facts or dates; although, these do come in handy during the History Club's trivia nights. The doom and gloom of taking 4th year seminar classes didn't occur to me at the time, but it is here now. And I love it.

Hopefully I can give you a sense of what 4th year seminar is like. I think I can sum up its activities in the following list:
1) Read books until your eyes fall out.
2) Research until your brain explodes.
3) Write a paper until your fingers seize up.
4) Repeat steps 1-3 for your other seminar (in all likelihood you'll have 2 to complete, and if you entered school before I did, 3).

Despite the trauma I have just put you through and that you may one day experience, I think that these seminars are the best academic experience I have had. It is not just preparation for graduate school. Fourth year seminar is the immersion into the world of academics. Reading and then debating the relevance of a document is what scholars do. There are no lectures but approximately 15 enthusiastic students who discuss some aspect of the topic at hand for three hours straight (with a break for coffee, of course). And with any luck, you'll be able to present your own original research at the Undergraduate Research Conference during the end of the Winter term each year. The second annual conference will be held this coming March. See you there!

Bomb threat message found at North Bay Campus

On the morning of Wednesday, August 06, 2008, a written message about a bomb threat was found in the men's changeroom by the gym. What did the message say? Here it is:

"On August 7 at 11:45 am a bomb will explode in a secret location this will take place because Canada is an abomination and has become a burden to the United States of America."

As it turned out, there was no explosion that occurred to my knowledge in North Bay. Even though the message did not specify where the explosion was to take place, the North Bay campus of Nipissing University and Canadore College was vacated for a couple of hours by Security Services.

Apparently the North Bay Police Service has been contacted about the matter.

Now, this was the first time I have ever experienced a bomb threat. Some students may have had the opportunity to evacuate their high school for this same reason during their teen years, but not for this fellow. But, here is the most intriguing thing:

Why is Canada an abomination that has become a burden to the United States of America? Canada doesn't rely on the US for social services, does it? Sure, there is free trade, but that has been hailed as a good thing for North America.

Anyway, I hope that whoever wrote this threat is found or comes forward. Really, we don't need these things going on at our campuses, or anywhere else for that matter.