Lakehead prides itself in being a small school – where as some Universities have almost 50,000 students, Lakehead University stands out with small class sizes, one-on-one professor relationships, and a lower student to faculty ratio.
It didn’t really hit hit me, though, as to what going to a small school meant until a couple of weeks ago.
I’m sure you know the pain – exams seem like a never-ending cycle of study, eat, cry, sleep. Luckily, there is another semester behind us and another set of exams completed.
My very last exam was my hardest – Canadian Taxation, which is exactly as difficult as it sounds. The very first thing my professor said on the very first day of class was “if you don’t need to be in this class, I would advise you to take something else.” Now I can see why. It was one of the most work-heavy, frustrating, infuriating classes of my life.
And yet I loved it. Not because I sat in the library under 3am working on twice-weekly assignments, or had panic attacks before the midterm, but because of how amazing my professor was. He knew all of our names by the second day of class, had funny, inside jokes with us, and gladly allowed me to call his office phone at 2am when I was waist-deep in my tax notes.
But nothing compared to what this professor did for our class both after the midterm and the exam. I have never been treated so kindly by a professor, never experienced something so selfless and kind – and I realize it’s all because I go to Lakehead, a small University in Northern Ontario.
After our midterm and our exam, my professor extended an offer to the entire class (and their significant others) to join him for dinner at a local pub here in town… all covered by him. Between delicious drinks, endless pizzas, and amazing appetizers, he paid for it all.
Some of us were so touched by his generosity than we gave him hugs. It may sound weird, but I’ve never been so amazed by a professor (or anyone, for that matter) in my life. Not only did he know his way around tax law and was an excellent teacher, but genuinely cared about his students. He has been doing this dinner for over 30 years. When I asked him “why do you do this?” (the bill was easily over a thousand dollars between all 20-something of us and our significant others)… his answer was simple: “I knew what it was like to be a student, and I want you to all to be able to enjoy yourselves.” And that was it. I was so touched by his compassion and generosity. After my last and most difficult exam, it was truly a blessing to be able to go out for a few hours, chat with my classmates, have some delicious food, and just enjoy myself. I not only have my wonderful professor to thank for this – but also Lakehead. We have small class sizes for this very reason. To foster relationships, create connections, and cultivate these amazing experiences that can only come with small class sizes and a low staff-to-student ratio. This sort of thing isn’t uncommon at Lakehead, either. Some professors host barbecues for students, take the class out for lunch, and offer out-of-class student sessions at The Study (our on-campus coffee house).
I’ve never been more proud to go to my school, and never so thankful for the wonderful dedication of my professors. Tax law might have been my own little dose of torture – but my amazing professor, and all my professors like him, made the experience a world away from what it could have been. And that is what makes Lakehead truly exceptional and unconventional.
Lakehead Saradise 