Samantha Osaduke
Staff Writer
For many, co-curricular week—better known as reading week—isn’t just a time to relax and catch up on readings.
In fact, many York students use this opportunity to take a variety of offered workshops, which range from how to change your major, to hosting an urban dance workshop, from how to adjust to university life to preparing to graduate.
The Career Centre, which has been participating in co-curricular week activities for a few years, has offered other workshops that advise students on practical real-world skills such as how to search for jobs, how to prepare a resume, as well as interview skills and exploring career options.
“This year we’ve seen a higher turnout than our numbers last year during fall co-curricular week,” says Julie Rahmer, manager of employer development and communications at the Career Centre. “We were fully booked during fall co-curricular week, as we always are.”
At the Glendon campus, Academic Advising offered programs such as “Get in Shape to Graduate/Finir en beauté,” “Find the Key to Your Degree/Savoir prendre la bonne decision,” and “Take Command and Understand/Utilisez votre langue.”
“The most popular workshop was ‘Get in Shape to Graduate,’ as we held one-on-one degree audit appointments, and seats for this session filled up in advance of the workshop date,” says academic advisor Lesley Barlett. “Our other two sessions were not as well-attended,” she continued, noting there are significantly fewer students on campus during co-curricular week.
Despite the high demand and popularity of co-curricular week activities and workshops, some students simply decided not to attend.
“I have never gone to the workshops, mainly because the commute is not worth it for me,” says third-year student Michelle Fung, who thinks the workshops are definitely beneficial for many people who need extra tips for university life.
“To be honest, I haven’t heard of them before until this year,” she says. “I’m sure all of us can benefit from going to at least one workshop, but my 1.5 hour commute discourages me from going.”
