By: Tony Mach
The term, “study abroad”, may sound fancy and appealing to any person, since it owns itself to the promise of a better learning environment and a guarantee of the extraordinary experience; yet, not everyone can quickly adapt to it. Likewise, the majority of international students will often be encountering different challenges when they are living in a completely new place, whereas some experience conflicts of interest, cultures, and perspectives. Indeed, I was no different than others, in which there was a time while I was struggling in building connections and being uncertain how my future would be within the first couple of years in college.
I still remember coming to Sheridan in late 2015 after finishing my high school education in my home country. At that time, though, I applied to Sheridan College for its advanced diploma in Marketing, and I was holding a doubt whether I was fit for this path. I understand that the Business Program is a vaguely described term since it covers multiple aspects of one completed organization, such as Administration, Finance, Accounting, Marketing, and Supply Chain. It explains why all first-year students are required to complete each of these programs at the fundamental level, so they can somehow reconsider their study path before moving to upper years.
My first year at Sheridan College experienced unstable growth. Some courses were excellent, and some were unwanted. Some low marks resulted from a lack of communication between my classmates and myself. I would also hesitate to seek support from the professors. It wasn’t that the college did not provide enough support for students, but it is because I did not have the motivation to participate in what was being offered. Across the term, the college did provide many engaging activities and events to encourage students to meet up with new people and enjoy some entertainment.
After I signed up for a part-time position as a Peer Mentor at the HMC campus, the situation gradually shifted. In less than three months, I had an excellent opportunity to get to know so many peers from different departments, even at other campuses, such as the SSU, Health and Wellness, Library Service, and more! From these new connections, I have learned so many new things, from tips to perform well in class, to suggestions to improve my social life, such as tv shows, games, places. For example, I had a chance to visit some fascinating places that I haven’t tried before, like Pursuit OCR, Paintball, and so much more. Similarly, my overall performance was getting better and better than when I first came to college, which also left me wondering whether I should have joined the Sheridan Community sooner?
In sum, choosing to join and be a part of the Sheridan Community is one of the best choices I have made so far. It has opened up many new chapters as an international student in the new study environment.
In a time of incredible change, we are all experiencing this monumental shift together. With a global pandemic, the transition into online schooling and so much more, members of the Sheridan community have become chameleons to welcoming change into their daily routines.
But not every situation starts and ends so easily. There are hardships, challenges and struggles that we experience to come out successfully on the other side. In this blog series, students, Sheridan Alumni, and members of our Sheridan community will share their stories of resilience and how they were able to overcome these obstacles.
We are proud to call this series #SherYourStory.
If you wish to be a part of it, you can submit your stories either publicly or anonymously here.
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“I was just another international student coming to Canada from Punjab with huge dreams and little experience. It hasn’t been all fun and games coming from my hometown, but you know what they say, “Difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations.” Indeed, it became true.”