Lakehead University’s Business Program

To be brutally honest when I decided I wanted to try the business program at Lakehead I didn’t know very much about it. I remember looking at my Grade 12 booklet from Lakehead at thinking Commerce was law/government (lol). I decided to make a little blog post about our business program, how it works, and why you might consider it! Even if you aren’t even considering business it might be worth a read. Going into University as a nursing student I never thought I would be majoring in business… but here I am, with one year left to go!

Your First vs. Your Last 2 Years
Your first two years in Commerce could be considered “general years.” Everyone has the same classes (minus electives) which include a little of everything: finance, accounting, HR, economics, marketing, information systems, and more! This is really awesome because if you’re not sure what you want to major in, this gives you a taste of all the different options!
Your final two years (or one) are narrowed down to one specific major. Our faculty offers the Bachelor of Business Administration, which is just one year after the first two where you take more general classes. You also have the often to take 2 more years (4 in total) and specialize in a certain discipline: HR, Marketing, Finance, International Business, Accounting, and more! You can find the full list here! Keep in mind you can even double major, or minor in a lot of these! I’m an Accounting major!

Cool Networking Opportunities and Case Competitions!
Our business program is super awesome for sending students in disciplines like Finance, Marketing, and Accounting to case competitions. We get an often all-expenses paid trip to participate in these awesome competitions (usually in Toronto or Winnipeg). They are a great opportunity to travel, get to see a new city, and spend time with classmates. The focus most of the time isn’t even the competition itself but just getting more experience and getting to know one another! And don’t worry – almost all students, if they show initiative and a want to go, get to go!

AACSB Accreditation
This probably doesn’t mean much to you right now, but this accreditation makes our school internationally recognized, and our degrees more prestigious! (Only 5% of Universities in the WORLD have this accreditation)

Workload and Schedules
Obviously over the years scheduling changes and classes occur at different times. I thought I’d share my Fall term schedules with you guys (from the last three years) so you can see what kind of classes I took, and what the workload was like!
AND YES – you saw right! Business students get Fridays off. Sometimes we have midterms or make-up classes on these days, but most times, they just make a nice long weekend!

Fall Term Year 1 (My course load was especially light this year because my Nursing credits transferred over, meaning no electives!). Classes included Intro to Economics, Statistics, and Management!

Fall Term Year 2 Classes included Business Writing, Managerial Accounting, and Marketing 1.

Fall Term Year 3 (This was my first year specializing in Accounting!). Classes included Business Law, Intermediate Accounting, Taxation, and Human Resources.

And that’s it! Ultimately I can say our business program here at Lakehead is amazing – from the faculty to the classes to the job prospects… Well, it’s safe to say that I think I made a great choice in what I majored in. I hope that you might consider it, too!

How to Survive University with Mental Illness (or any other Disability)

It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that I suffer from a mental illness. The words mental illness themselves make me feel sick. But I’ve struggled for a long time, and it’s been a long road, and sometimes I even like to recognize that I have a mental illness because it makes me realize just how strong I am.

I think I eluded to it in my very first blog post, but if you’re not wanting to back that far (and I don’t blame you), I’ll start off by saying that I’ve been suffering from severe anxiety – a mental illness – for a very long time. Unfortunately, a hard first year at University (due to lack of knowing what I wanted to major in) only intensified the anxiety. And like any other disability (whether it be learning, mental, or physical) sometimes you feel like you’re the only one that is going through it. I remember sitting in my Family Law class in first year, wanting to burst into tears, because I felt like everyone was happy but me.

Anxiety affects up to 12% of Canadians, and I’m sure this number is more than triple if just looking at post-secondary students. Between paying tuition, studying for classes, managing friends and group projects, starting new jobs, and writing 50-page papers… well, sometimes you can get a little overwhelmed.
First of all, I’d like to say that if you do suffer from anxiety, depression, or any other sort of disability… you are not alone. Many, many students suffer from anxiety right here on campus and as a result, there is A TON of support available to you.

As a fellow student suffering with anxiety, here are some tips that have helped me over the years:

1. Talk to your friends and peers. You’d be surprised just how many others are suffering from anxiety, and the help/support that they can offer. And even if they can’t relate, sometimes it’s just nice to have a hug or a shoulder to cry on. I just helped one of my best friends go through a very, very hard time in her life, and just like she’s helped me through seizures and panic attacks, I know she appreciates having me there.
2. Stay in touch with family. If you are close with your family, make sure to keep those phone calls/FaceTime dates going. Sometimes all you need is to hear mom or dad’s voice and you’ll feel better.
3. Visit Student Health & Counselling. Talking to on-campus doctors and counselors was a massive help for me. Because they exclusively see students, they know the issues that students face regularly and how to help them through it – whether that be with meditation, counselling, or medication.
4. Chat with someone at Student Accessibility Services if you feel your disability is severe. Unfortunately I suffer from seizure-like episodes from my anxiety, and I’m able to have accommodations for tests and exams, such as breaks. This can be really helpful, especially for students that may have panic attacks or need extra time during exams. A lot of students use this service (you do need documentation of your illness, but it is often easy to obtain from an on-campus doctor).
5. Make friends and be social. Try to get out of the slump – and I know it’s not that easy – by going out and having fun. Whether it be enjoying a skate and free hot chocolate on Lake Tamblyn, having apps at the Outpost, or even just hanging out and watching a movie, sometimes you just need to take a breather.
6. Talk to your professors. You will find that they are more than willing to accommodate you if you are upset or severely overwhelmed. They may offer additional resources to help you study, maybe even an extra day to finish up your paper. They aren’t there to make your lives miserable, and the majority of them are very, very understanding… they’ve been in our shoes, after all!
7. Find things you love. Whether it be reading, writing, working out, playing video games, painting, chatting with friends, volunteering, watching a favourite TV show… find something, and do it regularly! It’s easy to get caught up in schoolwork, but you need to take some “you” time, too. My thing is painting and doing crafts, it really soothes me.
8. Take it easy, and take a step back. This is my 1000000% best tip… and though I’m still having trouble with it myself, I’ll let you know that just talking to myself often helps a lot. A lot of my anxiety comes from school work and getting high grades… called “performance anxiety” and sometimes I have to step back and tell myself “getting a 95 isn’t worth my mental health” or “my thoughts are irrational. I need to relax”. It’s hard, especially in the beginning. But if you know what really triggers the anxiety, it often helps to tell yourself what really matters to you, and if this issue is really worth your mental health. It’s a battle – trust me, I know – but it’s also about baby steps.

This year I am also struggling a lot with anxiety due to changes in jobs (I had to quit a great job I was offered :()… but I always try to remind myself that things do and will get better. Sometimes I feel hopeless. I even have felt suicidal. But remember that there are people out there that love you, and that you are strong, intelligent, driven, and worth it. Stress gets to all of us. Life isn’t easy — in the words of Gary Allan: “life ain’t always beautiful, but it’s a beautiful ride.”

I don’t mean to scare anyone that is reading this and perhaps considering going to University. Let me tell you this… stress effects every student differently, and if you find yourself overwhelmed, there are so many services out there to help and so many students with a listening ear!
And last, but certainly not least… let me tell you, it’s all worth it. When you hit that A on your exam, or find a job you love, or you get to see your friends, or you go for dinner to celebrate the end of another year… you look back and say “wow, I really did it”. University isn’t easy, but life isn’t easy. And the fact that you are doing something you love, getting a great education, and building a great future for yourself makes it all 100% worth it. As the saying goes…

 

Landing a Summer Job

A lot of out-of-town students decide to spend the summer in Thunder Bay, and getting a job can be a great experience and a lot of fun! I was recently speaking with someone from CPA (Chartered Professional Accounts) Canada and explained to them why our job prospects are so different up here. Because we have one university (and one college) and many, many student jobs available, getting a job in your field of education isn’t always such a battle. For example in Toronto you’re going to be completing with hundreds (if not thousands) of students from different Universities – in Thunder Bay depending on the job you might be competing with fifteen.

This year I was offered a position at MNP, a local accounting firm. As a third year accounting student this is a huge step for me. The great thing is that often these summer positions can lead to post-grad jobs and even lifetime careers. They also give you related experience that, if anything, looks great on a resume. In the past I’ve also worked at TD Bank, the Lakehead bookstore, and as a tour guide on campus.

My sister is a nursing student here at Lakehead and had no issues getting a job at a nursing home here in town. She will also be working with the hospital for several weeks this summer. Jobs in many majors are available, and we often hold career fairs with local businesses offering jobs. Jobs include those with the City of Thunder Bay, Government of Ontario, accounting firms and banks, nursing homes, Thunder Bay Police, law firms, school boards, car rental agencies, the Canadian Armed Forces, and more. A lot of these places are fighting for students like us!

It’s important to know that Lakehead also has a variety of summer positions available (which can often lead part-time into the school year).You can find these openings listed on https://mysuccess.lakeheadu.ca. If you have access to your Lakehead e-mail account you can access this site. Listings are for both on campus and off campus jobs – it’s essentially a job bank exclusive for Lakehead students! Some postings currently available include: Civil Engineering Student @ Allnorth, Web Developer, Grade 1/2 Teacher, Marketing Associate, Research Assistant for Civil Engineering, and more! As you can see there are a variety of positions open to every major.

I think that getting a job locally is a great option, especially if you plan to stay in Thunder Bay. Because we are a close-knit community, summer jobs and networking can create great experiences and lead you to a full career!