By EMILY NEWBURY, Alumnus
A letter to students at St. Lawrence College:
H
ello! My name is Emily, I
graduated from the General Arts
and Science program last April.
I moved out east from BC, and loved every
minute of my time at SLC. Small class sizes,
the ability to make great friends, as well as
being able to get on a one-on-one basis with
the professors were the top three highlights
at SLC. I would love to share my journey
post-graduation of SLC, because I know a
lot of Ontarians want to make the move ‘out
west’ and pursue higher education out here,
which I truly recommend.
When I applied and throughout my time at
SLC, I made sure to speak with the advisors
to keep on the ‘university transferable’
study path. I was told of the three main
universities that SLC had a direct transfer to
3rd year studies, and that it was likely to get
the same transfer with another institution.
I chose to apply to the University of British
Columbia in Vancouver, so I could come
back home and be closer to family. UBC also
told me during application that since I was
in the university transferable stream that it
was likely I would get transferred into 2nd
year there, which was great!
Upon being accepted into UBC, they noted
Transfer credits and my time at SLC
I was accepted only to 1st year, saying
that I would be able to get transfer credits
by speaking to an advisor in the first few
months. I spoke to my advisor a few times,
each time she said to go to department
heads to present my SLC courses to get
transfer. January came around, and I
emailed Arts Advisors again to see what
exactly department heads I would need to
see. That is when the advisors took time to
look into SLC, and informed me that I would
not be receiving ANY transfer credits. They
said Ontario had a different system, and the
level at which SLC courses were taught was
not enough for UBC transfer. This was really
frustrating because I had been told that I
would, and I also did really well (3.7 GPA
overall) at SLC and deserved them. Since
then, I have spoken to a secretary in the
Dean of Arts office, and been directed to a
few different people.
It is really challenging, but I am going to fight
for my transfer credits. The courses I took at
SLC in combination were the same as many
of the first year courses I have been taking
here at UBC, so I have a feeling I will get
some courses transferred. I have accepted
the fact that I may not get a full two-year
transfer, but honestly a year or even a half-
www.SAvoiceSLC.com | Student Association of St. Lawrence College
year would be great at this point. I have
friends who went from SLC to York, UVic,
and other well- known universities around
Canada who all said they didn’t get transfer
from SLC into 2nd or 3rd year, just 1st.
So, my advice to you is this: if you know you
want to pursue higher university education
that aren’t at the 3 that SLC offers direct
transfer to, get in touch with the advisors
for the faculty you want to enter. Ask them
to look into how credits may transfer. It
is likely you will have to apply first, but
make sure you are in constant contact
with both advisors from SLC as well as
your desired university! This will show your
genuine interest in that university, as well
as dedication to your own personal post
secondary education.
SLC is an amazing school, and I was able
to begin my career path by the end of
my time here. I would recommend going
here to anyone, and had an amazing time
representing the school during open houses
and orientation. I hope you too will take
positive experiences from this college.
Best wishes in your success at SLC,
- Emily Newbery ■
April 2014 SA Voice 7