Making the Most of College

College is a time that you either look forward to or fondly look back on for the rest of your life. Not only is it a time to party and enjoy yourself, but it is also the time when most people discover themselves - both personally and professionally.

Getting distracted in college with all the new experiences can be quite easy whether you're attending Vancouver College of Art and Design or studying chemical engineering at University of Saskatchewan. Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your time in college.

Attend Class

Now before you start rolling your eyes and disregard this point entirely, keep in mind that you are paying to get an education. There are in reality, two aspects to this - you're paying for the course and that you want to educate yourself. Neither of these aspects is helped if you end up skipping the class. A good way to drive the point of money home, is to try and break up your total tuition cost into a per class value. This way, every time you end up skipping a class, you'll know exactly how much money you're throwing away.

Schedule Well

There is a fine balance in creating the perfect schedule. You don't want to extend a four year course into a fifth year due to lesser classes nor do you want to be like Jack by not leaving any time for play.

If you know that you're not one to rise early every morning, try and schedule your classes for a little later in the day. Also keep in mind that you would ideally need a breather every 2 hours or so.

Extra-curricular Activities Help

When you step out of the college life and into a job hunting role, you'll find that most hiring managers prefer a well-rounded student over one that is too academically inclined or one that barely scraped through. Take part in the student government, participate in sports, join the drama club, or any other activity that interests you, but take part!

Build Your Network

For most people college is the last time that they get to spend so much time around the same individuals. Use this time to network with students, professors and visiting faculty. The network you build in college often comes in handy through the later years.

Let Your Mind Explore

Even if you came to college knowing exactly what you want to do with your life, you might be surprised with how much a different area of study can increase your educational value. And of course if you're part of the majority who isn't really sure about the course their life will take, it makes even more sense to use your initial year(s) to figure out what you'd like to do.

Remember that your time in college is limited and you need to make the most of it. This includes the time you have for fun. While it is very important to get a good education out of your college years, you don't want to leave college without having some of the best times of your life either!

Health Sciences College for Career Changers

Are you already in the workforce, but looking for a change? Perhaps what you need is a new job, ideally with flexible working hours, a good hourly wage, and the possibility of advancement, both in terms of salary and status? A job where you can help others? For many mature students, a health sciences college becomes a launch pad to a rewarding second career.

In fact, it could even be argued that, for some of the professions that a health sciences program can lead to, such as X-ray technician or ultrasound technician, that maturity and life experience can be a major asset. After all, patients seeking diagnostic imaging tests can sometimes feel vulnerable, and worried about their health, their futures and, not to mention, their families. A steady, guiding hand - a good "test-side manner"- can be reassuring, even therapeutic, and a welcome presence in any clinic or emergency room.

X-ray tech as a second career choice

Graduates of health sciences college who go on to work as an X-ray technician (or radiologic technologist, as it is sometimes called) are equipped to perform certain diagnostic imaging tests on patients.

Graduates of this kind of program can expect to make anywhere from $30,000 to $75,000 a year (or an hourly wage of $14 to $32).

In health sciences college, aspiring X-ray technicians learn how to perform X-rays, but that is not all. The diagnostic imaging tests taught in health sciences program can include:

- CT scans: a test to detect, amongst other problems, tumors and hemorrhaging

- MRI scans: a test often used to image cancer in the body

- mammograms

Judging by the sensitive, stressful and intimate nature of some of these diagnostic imaging tests, it is not surprising that many schools of health science are eager to open their doors to mature students, who will have the people skills as well as the technical skills to shepherd understandably anxious patients through the diagnostic process.

Ultrasound technician

Many people associate the words "ultrasound" or "sonogram" with pregnancy. We've all seen ultrasound printouts of a family's first glimpse of their infant-to-be, with a charming outline of a foot, or of a silhouette that recalls Mommy or Daddy. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if many of the mature students enrolled in ultrasound studies at health sciences college actually spawned an interest in the profession by using the services of an ultrasound technician themselves. But, as schools of health science quickly make clear, ultrasound technology has many uses, including:

- emergency uses: some graduates go on to perform ultrasounds on patients in emergency

- veterinary uses: some graduates of this program program may go on to practice their trade with animals rather than humans. Ultrasound is used, for example, to assess injuries in horses and cattle.

Health sciences college can be an attractive option for mature students with experience in another field.

Visit Mohawk College for more information on a health sciences program.