CC Image courtesy of Abi K on Flickr

Thinking of going back to school? Well so was I. As a direct entry student at Ryerson University and a mature student at that, I wanted to reveal a few of the issues I had coming back to school after almost a decade away from the education industry.

Upon completion of high school, I decided to enter the work force, and eventually move to the west coast of Canada. I landed in Whistler, B.C., which is where I met my wife. I eventually worked my way up in the town to find a real estate management job. This was my first job in an office and I learned to hate answering my phone. Every time I picked up the phone, 90% of the time there was someone yelling at me. I found out pretty quickly that I liked the business world, but real estate management was not for me. So to develop my skill set and increase my knowledge, it was back to school and Toronto.

Firstly, coming back to school, I noticed the age gap. Even though I was only 26 when I started at Centennial College, I was at a point in my life where I wanted to learn. It appeared to me that there were a select few in my class that chose college as a means to continue their social scene from high school. It was difficult for me to converse with some of these 18 and 19 year old students. Being on the cusp of Gen X and Gen Y, I was at a bit of a disadvantage in that the course readings in a marketing program today are heavily dependent on the strategic use of social media. I however was not.

I completed the 3 year program at Centennial College to obtain an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration Marketing. After completion, I applied to Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management, studying in their Marketing Management program. I am a direct entry student, which means I transferred some of my credits from Centennial College and entered the 3^rd year at Ryerson.

I know the eventual completion of the program will be beneficial for me in terms of the jobs that I will be able to apply for, but the process of completing this program as a direct entry student is nothing but frustrating. Having completed my program at Centennial College, a lot of the material that we cover in the third year are reach back courses to make sure each student is ready for the upper year courses. Which translates to repetition of content.

Over and over I hear segmentation, target market and the marketing mix, each time taught as if the students in the class have never heard the terms before. This is because the universities, and it’s not just Ryerson, will only allow certain number of transfer credits. Even if the course outlines show that the content is very close to being the same, a student may not exceed the maximum number of transfer credits. As a result, I sit in class and try not to fall asleep.

The program mandates that you choose liberals from a list of course codes, 90% of which are not actually available, and as a result, I am a marketing student taking a biology course. Sure there were a couple other courses to choose from, but my level of interest in the content was even lower. Frustration ensues…

The transition into University as a direct entry student has been difficult to say the least. Direct entry students often fall on the outskirts of the social scene and it is impossible to join unless you have the time to get involved. Joining a club, or finding ways to break the social bubble to get in. As of right now, I’m still on the outside looking in.