Myths and Realities for Parents About Post-Secondary Education

  Canadian parents and youth facing a transition towards post-secondary education are often overwhelmed by fears, concerns and anxiety, and understandably so. But formal research and anecdotal evidence suggests most of these concerns are simply myths, reinforced by peers, media and popular culture. This article is meant to expose many of these myths and reveal the true realities to help youth and parents make the most of this exciting time.

Applications and Career Planning

MYTH - You have to have straight A’s to go to university.

Having high grades in high school does increase your chances of getting accepted to some of the competitive schools, but only a few programs and schools in Canada have a minimum average of more than 80%. University provides the opportunity for personal development and reflection where many students who enter with a lower 70% end up finding their passion, end up maturing their study habits, and end up becoming top students. Straight A’s do dramatically increase your chances of getting merit-based scholarships and bursaries, but most are actually set up on a needs-basis.

MYTH – My child should pursue a career that pays well.

While a high salary makes a lot of things easier, it should only be secondary in the career path decision making. If someone dreads going to work every morning, they will likely not be able to devote their energy and enthusiasm to their work, and may feel trapped. This could limit one’s upward mobility in their organizations and decrease their quality of work. With interest and passion, one can make the most of their education and their skills/experience building, and may be driven to continue to push for innovation. This may translate to raises, pay increases, networking opportunities, and may open more doors for personal development. In the long run, interest and passion can be a strong foundation for success.

MYTH – I know there are many options for my child, but it is probably beset that s/he pursues a traditional career path with security, such as business or law.

It may be easy for a parents and students to assume a job is a guaranteed path to success because they are used to hearing it. The reality is these perceptions may very well be socially constructed. For example, many students and parents believe law school will be a guaranteed path to a successful and happy career, but the reality is this path can be very competitive and stressful. Paying too much attention to what people normally consider a secure career path may limit one’s ability to pursue a career that really interests them. Contrary to popular belief, every discipline has an opportunity for high paying successful employment, and with enthusiasm and interest, upward mobility can be easily attained. One is more likely to find themselves with limited career options if they pursue a discipline and path believed to be secure if they don’t have the passion. Why? Because they won’t be as driven to further themselves or their work.

MYTH – Completing graduate school will lead to a better job with a better salary.

Graduate school is only a good idea for some people. If someone is passionate about the research in their field of study, academia may be a very appropriate career path, but the reality is many employment opportunities do not require this step. Careful research into the industry expectations will help students make this decision. Many students gain a year or two of experience before they realize whether or not graduate school is a good idea for them. Don’t assume graduate school is necessary for success, and don’t assume having a graduate degree will secure a high pay and high status career path. A student should match this decision with their career goals.

MYTH – Career planning is linear and irreversible.

Most adults find themselves pursuing two or three very different careers throughout their life. One’s interest and passion may drive them to further challenge themselves, and may encourage upward mobility. Skills and experiences can be transferred from any career to another, and can be furthered through personal development (such as courses and seminars). Unless someone finds a job they are completely content with right out of school, they will most likely continue to improve their resumes and change their focus throughout their lives.

MYTH – First year students have a clear vision of their career goal and their discipline.

Because career paths change considerably well after university, it is hardly likely first year students have a permanent and clear vision of what exactly they want to do. Interest and passion can take years to develop and discover, and most students shuffle their discipline a couple times before finding something that drives them. A young adult should most certainly not feel bad if they are confused about their direction, they are not alone.

MYTH – University is for smart kids, while trades are for the unacademic.

University is a suitable environment for students to build a broad understanding of the world around them through the lens of their discipline. It is invaluable in providing a foundation of understanding and knowledge for further development, but is not only for the ‘smart kids’. Many career paths do necessitate a university degree, but many do not. Someone’s passion may drive them to devote their academic and intellectual attention to a career with more hands-on or practical skills. While trade-school often focuses around on-site and practical training, they all require some degree of formal education. Trades often necessitate strong mathematics, logic, physics, literacy and communication, computer and electronic science, analytical development, creativity, and a strong passion.

MYTH – A university degree is the only post-secondary education that provides a secure future.

Skilled trades, especially in Canada, are actually in far greater demand than many university knowledge-based careers. Achieving a Certificate of Qualification for a skilled is also a ticket to a good future, especially given the high demand, good pay, ability to travel across the country, and lower rates of unemployment. Surprisingly enough, many trades actually have higher salaries than a university graduate could expect. Also, in today’s day and age, skilled trade workers have a lot of opportunity to take personal development courses and to transfer their skills and experience to nearly any industry.

MYTH – It is easier to get into professional schools if a student’s parents are in the same profession.

For the most part, application processes to professional schools are entirely merit-based. While networking helps build references and provides access to otherwise closed experience-building opportunities, professional schools also consider academic success, volunteer work, and interest. Also, networks can be easily built through relationships with professors and through student employment. A dedicated student from any background has a full opportunity to build a very effective and competitive resume and application.

MYTH – My child will be disadvantaged based on my accent, identity, culture, ethnicity, and / or my public or private high school education.

Application processes are entirely merit-based. Canada’s colleges and universities are often very diverse, with people from many faiths, cultures and schooling backgrounds. Due to the quickly growing international student body entering our institutions, there are a lot of students who have had limited English exposure, but are fortunate enough to be able to expand their communicative skills in a tolerant environment. No one will be disadvantaged based on their background.

While private schools are more geared towards university preparation, there is no shortage of public school students in university. Public schools on the other hand, usually have a better selection of courses geared towards technical and trades training, and therefore usually have more students attending colleges than private schools. During the application process however, neither colleges nor universities look at what type of school a student attended.

Financing

MYTH – You have to be wealthy to go to university or college.

Like most things, having access to capital definitely helps. But there is no shortage of loans, bursaries and scholarships that are open to everyone. Most schools in Canada have a policy whereby no student will be discouraged from attending based on their income or financial situation. Many students do graduate with considerable debt, but loan arrangements are set up to help students pay it off slowly without impeding their lifestyle. Debt is incidental and manageable, but education lasts a life time. Generally speaking, financial background does not limit a student’s access to education at all.

MYTH – Middleclass and wealthy families will not qualify for financial assistance.

Many schools do set up their financial assistance programs on a needs-only basis, which has an income or asset cut-off. Wealthy families may find themselves cut off from many of these services, but merit-based scholarships and bursaries are open to everyone. Also, there is no shortage of private bursaries available with both merit and needs-based loans.

MYTH – My child will graduate with significant debt.

Many students are fortunate enough, through their parent’s diligent saving or decent income, to graduate with no debt at all. Unfortunately, university and college can be very pricy. Students and parents should be aware of the considerable living costs, books and supplies, rent and tuition. Part-time and summer jobs also do a lot to help offset the living and education costs. Many however, do still graduate with some or a lot of debt. Fortunately, our provincial governments dramatically subsidize the costs of tuition (often by thousands of dollars), and student loans allow for considerable flexibility in interest payments and often allow the students to find a stable income before repayments need to be made. Student debt is always manageable.

MYTH – My family will be penalized for saving.

Unlike in the US, most need-based loans in Canada for students measure parent’s income, and not total assets. All the money saved by parents will not be counted when calculating who needs help with how much.

MYTH – My child should make an effort to work part-time as much as possible while in school.

Financing can be a stressful endeavour, and often is the root of a lot of parent / student conflict in post-secondary. Tuition, books, rent and necessary expenses can be significant, especially when parents expect their students to continue shopping and eating like they did under their careful watch. When a student is given their new found autonomy, they may not have had the time to develop the right budgeting techniques. If students insist on going on trips, insist on buying a lot of personal luxuries, or are struggling to make ends meet, a part-time job might be able to alleviate some of this pressure.

But studies suggest students who devote more than 20 hours to part-time work per week actually experience a significant decrease in academic success. Parents may feel asking their student to take on part-time work while in school is a simple and fair request, but it may be a source of stress when exams and papers are around the corner. Summer jobs and a few part-time weekends here and there on the other hand, will go a long way to alleviate financial concerns, and won’t prevent the student from focusing on their studies. School should come first, they only get one chance. Finding the balance between school and work is difficult, but manageable.

Student Life

MYTH – A full-time course means being at university from 9am – 5pm, five days a week.

A few disciplines and a few programs do expect students to be in class around 40 hours a week, such as engineering, but they vary significantly. Most courses have a high reading workload, with hundreds of pages of articles to read per week, and as a result only have about 12 hours of lectures per week. Other disciplines that utilize lab work can expect their students to have as much as 20 hours per week. Trade and college courses on the other hand, may have far more work internships, coops and hands-on training and therefore may have very little actual lecture time.

MYTH – Everyone that goes to post-secondary education lives away from home.

Depending on the campus, universities and colleges may have more students from abroad, may have more local students, or may be quite mixed. It is extremely common for students to live at home with their parents to save on living costs. This option is available to people who live close to their campuses, and who are fortunate enough to get the program they need at that school.

Parents should keep in mind, however, that it may be a better idea to take a bit of a financial dip if it means sending their students to the best possible. Certain schools do provide significant advantages, such as research and networking opportunities, or specific internationally acclaimed degrees. Balancing opportunity with financial efficiency is important.

MYTH – A personal tutor or administrator will check to see if your child has completed their homework.

More or less every school in Canada expects their students to do their homework and assignments on time, and expect the students to attend lectures regularly. Students who fall behind will not be contacted by the professors, their assistants, or campus administration. It is important for students to learn how to be autonomous, and to be in charge of their own schooling and studying. Parents shouldn’t make any effort to contact the campus to see if their student is falling behind, but should instead maintain a close and positive relationship with their students to keep them accountable to their own work.

MYTH – All teaching is done in lecture form.

Teaching methods vary according to the institution, discipline and instructor. Some courses focus exclusively on readings with two or three hour lectures once or twice a week with a weekly discussion seminar, and utilized papers, tests and assignments for marking. Other courses utilize labs, field work, coop training, and measure student success with presentations, reports and group projects. Social sciences and humanities for example, would utilize the classic lecture form with discussion seminars. Often upper level courses will use seminars where the students participate actively in a themed-discussion led by the instructor.

MYTH – There is no one your child can turn to if they find it difficult to cope.

All schools offer a wide variety of extended learning assistance and services to help students cope with the challenges of transition. Many students do not anticipate a shift in learning methods and in the expectations of instructors when entering post-secondary education. Writing centers, math aids, tutors, learning guidance councillors, and peer leader guidance services are offered by the campus administration, student associations, and residences. Many students also organize study groups and study sessions to discuss the different challenges and themes of their courses as mid-terms and finals approach.

MYTH – Only large final exams count.

Courses utilize a wide variety of marking methods, including final exams, mid-term tests, quizzes, reports, research papers, critiques, labs and participation. The weight and value of each of these depends entirely on the department, discipline, institution and instructor. Some courses do utilize final exams exclusively, but this is generally rare.

MYTH – Computer access is only optional.

More or less every school mandates electronic access, whether it’s academic or practical, university or college, lab-based or paper-based. Papers, reports, assignments and projects are all expected to be computer typed and printed, and often instructors exclusively rely on electronic messaging for contacting students. Also, student administration and services is quickly becoming centralized via electronic networks. For example, students often sign up for courses or contact administration for concerns and questions exclusively over the internet. Research is also quickly becoming exclusively electronic as more articles are available electronically and as schools continue to upload their library selections online. Despite this, access to campus computers can be surprisingly limited, and as a result the vast majority of youth have a computer of their own.

MYTH – Everyone is there to study / party.

The number one misconception both parents and students have is towards the type of activities the students will carry out. Often fuelled socially by media and peers, students and parents often assume post-secondary life is filled with parties and alcohol. Alternatively, some assume students are there exclusively to learn and study, and that distractions deter from the educational experience and are therefore rare. The reality is most students don’t actually party that much and put far more attention to their studies than one would originally believe. Also, there are a very large number of people who choose not to engage in drinking and partying activities at all. There really is no partying culture in post-secondary education.

That being said, parents should also be aware students will also have their own personal time used for socializing, relaxing, playing, and for participating in extra-curricular events and clubs. This down time and engagement is healthy for students, as it helps alleviate stress and anxiety, and it improves their overall post-secondary experience.

Students are remarkably effective at balancing work with play.

MYTH – Everyone drinks on campus.

Contrary to popular belief, most students actually rarely drink and are effective at balancing their work with their play. The reason is simple; students who care about their education focus more on their studies than they do parties. Other students see this, which reinforces the need for a healthy and effective balance in their own decision-making.

There are also a very large number of people for personal, social and cultural reasons that choose not to drink at all.

MYTH – Instructor warmth and enthusiasm is generally unrelated to instructor competence.

Many institutions carry out in-depth student reviews and surveys at the end of the year to identify where students felt their instructor was strong and where there is a need for improvement. This survey data is published to help students decide what courses to take, and is used to help determine instructor benefits and pay. This means there is an incentive for instructors to teach their material in an enthusiastic and effective manner. The courses that score the highest are the ones that most effectively teach the material. Material that is presented in a relatable and enthusiastic way gets through to the students better than boring and extensive lectures that have had little organization. Students are more appreciative of enthusiasm and a well thought out and structured course and as a result, take more valuable lessons from it.

MYTH – Student approval of instructors is based on how easy the course is rather than how competent the instructor is.

The highest scoring courses by students are often not the easy ones at all, but are the courses that had fair marking, effective teaching, and valuable learning experiences. These courses are generally more difficult but much more interesting. Easy courses that offer no valuable experience to students or lack enthusiasm are generally scored very poorly.

MYTH – Ratings for first year courses are higher than the later year courses.

Some people assume because first year courses are broad and are easier, that students will rate them higher than the more difficult upper year courses. The upper level courses are certainly more difficult, but students phase into them smoothly. Students are often given a much wider selection of courses in later years that focus on very specific topics. This gives them the opportunity to pursue topics that really interest them and pick the instructors that meet their needs. Generally, later year courses score much higher than early year courses.

MYTH – Parents will feel lonely as they become empty nesters.

Parents spent two decades watching carefully over their children’s development, often making a full-time job out of it. Parents often fear they won’t know what to do with their time when their children head off to university. It can be as much a learning curve and transition for them as it is for the students themselves. Surprisingly enough, loneliness is rarely an issue. Students are usually diligent in keeping in close contact with their parents, calling anywhere from once a day to several times a month, and look forward to spending time with their parents during the holiday weekends as much as the parents do. Parents can rest assured knowing all their coaching, empowerment, and caring has helped prepare students. When students gain this new found autonomy and take control over their development, parents also find a whole new autonomy. This gives them the opportunity to take personal development courses, take up new hobbies, spend more time with friends, and to focus on themselves. This time can be just as exciting for parents as it is for students.