Locked: How is Fanshawe college?

molexir on Oct 14th, 2010 4:00 pm wrote: ↑ Please provide your prerequisites scores for the [Respiratory Therapy] program.

I'm going back to school to get some of the prereqs that I didn't get in HS the 1st time around along time ago - had no interest in science related credits whatsoever.

Anyone @ Michener in the RT program shed some light on what they think of the program current or past students.

Also would Michener be a better school for RT than saw Fanshawe or Conestoga?

TIA

ix3katz on Nov 30th, 2010 11:28 pm wrote: ↑ im currently in the RT program @michener and..... there were a few students who dropped out to go to Fanshawe ..i guess fanshawe is easier?

michener takes about 50-60 students per year

i had a bachelor degree in sciences prior to applying, but i didn't do that well in university
i think i got a B average
i guess high school marks helped? (i had an A average in high school)
as for which courses you need, the michener website lists them out for u
anyway its not just about the marks... ur admission is based 50% on your marks, 50% on your MMI score

so far i like the program (im in 2nd year) as its very hands on (but that also means a lot of lab hours an practical exams)
in fact i have my clinical visit coming up .. n then in the summer i'll have my simulation labs, and then in my final year, i'll be doing my clinicals...!

anyway im doing the michener + dalhousie collaborative program (lots of online courses! yay); they don't offer this anymore ... they only offer the michener program now so lots on-site lecture hours
the staff is very friendly...generally very competent. i feel that a few instructors don't teach very well, but that happens at all schools

if you apply and get on the waiting list...don't worry.. theres still a high chance u'll get in. a lot of people on the waiting list gets in after 1st or 2nd round (by about..june/july). i was personally on the waiting list for RT, MLS, and cardiovascular perfusion .. and i got into both RT and MLS. anddddd ...im glad i picked RT over MLS

ps. forgot to mention.. most people already have a degree prior to this program, but there are also some students who came straight out of high school. there are also students with families, and some well into their 30's to 40's

Jin9488 on Dec 14th, 2010 10:44 pm on Paramedic Entry Exam (Humber) wrote: ↑ I applied to Humber's paramedic program too, as well as Niagara, Centennial, and Fanshawe.

Can I ask what was your admission requirement course's average for the no admission testing school? (bio,chem, math, eng) I'll buy the book if OP isn't interested in it.

theweave on Jan 9th, 2011 10:19 pm wrote: ↑ Okay here is my newest situation. Last December I put in an OSAP application for the Accounting course at Fanshawe that was starting in January. Then I was told by someone at Fanshawe that they go strictly by the marks on my transcript (which were lower then the minimum but was also 20 years ago!) so I figured "Okay I am not getting in anyhow".
OSAP sent me a letter earlier this month saying they valued my 1997 car at over $3000.00! I ignored it again, since I won't get accepted...
Now on January 9, 2011, I get an email from Fanshawe saying I have an offer of acceptance!!! Three to be exact, one in January, one in March and one in May! Trouble is the deadline for March is only 3 days from now! Not much time to decide!!!
So I am interested in going but I checked my OSAP application on line now and it says I do not qualify as I made too much in income (why they still use 2009 info for classes in 2011 is beyond me!).
So my only option would be to take out a Student LOC to go in either March or May. If I did this, can I still apply for OSAP for September, or would they look at my line of credit and say "well you have that, so you don't need this."
I am going to try and work somehow and all but I definitely need financial assistance as well! My EI runs out on March 13, 2011 (still gotta find out about that!)... so I have to do something with my education to get a better chance at a job!!!
Suggestions anyone?

CSK'sMom on Jan 9th, 2011 10:50 pm wrote: ↑ So what do you think your car is worth? Check the blue book value and then appeal if need be. You may need to get an independent appraisal done. A SLOC has absolutely no effect on OSAP funding. OSAP needs your income from 10 and 11 for the 10/11 school year. Income from Jan 10 through to 16 weeks before school starts then the 16 week pre study period income. The 10/11 school year for OSAP runs till Aug 11. The 11/12 OSAP application covers Sept 11 through Aug 12.
Ultimately you need to cancel that OSAP application anyway as the start date is different. Do another application and get the car thing straightened out this time. Ignoring OSAP is never a good option, it has a way of coming back to bite you in the butt....

theweave on Jan 9th, 2011 11:40 pm wrote: ↑ I never meant to "ignore" OSAP at all, I just figured based on the info that I had, I was not getting accepted.
I bought my car for $800 last March. It was in perfect shape but now has body damage to it that is not fixed.
Exactly how does one cancel the other application (it already states I am not gettting any funding anyhow)? Should I even bother applying to start in either March or May of 2011, when the numbers will be pretty much the same (minus a lower amount on the vehicle)?
I just don't see them accepting the application now vs January when nothing has changed.
Oh one more thing, I had given the FAO a five page letter addressed to OSAP outlining my situation and why things are not what they seem to be... wouldn't the FAO pass that onto OSAP as well (like being my appeal)? I am so new to this and starting the stress all over again! All I want is an education!!!
Oh you also said something to me earlier about living closer to London would increase my chances at getting OSAP? I would consider that since I hate the drive to there anyways!!!!
Thanks for the quick replies as I am short on time here and have so many decisions to make!

CSK'sMom on Jan 9th, 2011 11:50 pm wrote: ↑ Cancel the application because it will have the wrong study dates (program start and finish). This will royally screw you over later. Start another new application and then call Fanshawe and tell application number of the one to cancel. Ask your FinAid office how to appeal the car value. I can't remember at the moment but I think there may be a form to do it. An appeal needs to be done "by the book". The process is outlines on the OSAP site. FinAid staff can be really flakey. Only 1 or 2 in the whole office are actually allowed to enter info into the computer system. They are also notorious for not being able to think objectively, even when it's layed out to them in black and white.
IIRC, OSAP told you you actually had a couple of cars registered to you. The combined value is probably really screwing you. Take care of that as well when doing a new application. And yes, you'd probably fare better if moving. Play with the OSAP aid estimator a bit and see what it does in both scenarios...

rennick on Jan 28th, 2011 3:34 pm wrote: ↑ This thread and the info included has been really helpful. Thanks to all those that have contributed. I'm looking at applying for 2012 to the St. Clair College med lab technology program.
I formerly worked in IT for 20 years, and after being home the last couple (we relocated --- away from Windsor, hah --- for his job), I really don't want to go back to IT. I'm looking at med lab as a career change, and a friend who is a med lab technologist loves it, and thinks it would be a great idea. Is it okay to go into a career like this without some underlying passion? I wouldn't mind doing something with more intrinsic social value than my former jobs, but I'm not necessarily married to the med lab thing. I'm looking at the respiratory therapy and medical radiation therapy programs, though from the sounds of this thread, I would be better off job-wise to go for the MLT program.
Also, if I get into the program, I'll be looking at a daily 1h45m commute. I know there's a few of you on here that, it sounds like, are dealing with a long commute. How do you find it affects your ability to school? Do you have a family (spouse/kids)? I shouldn't have a problem getting a local placement for the 1yr clinical (according to the program coordinator) and a spouse who really would prefer I pick something at Fanshawe (though he is supportive). If I did, say, apply and get into Michener, would it be worth the extra 1/2 hour commute? Especially in the winter (I can stay overnight with my sister in Windsor on snowy days, if needed).
Oh, one other thing, if anyone has any thoughts. I hold a U.S. BSc with a concentration in Computer Science. I graduated cum laude (GPA 3.68). Would it be worth paying the $250 to get an international evaluation done? Assuming that it evaluates exactly the same (it's accredited, so I would expect so), would this make any difference to my application (to Michener or St. Clair)? As in, if I'm competing with someone, and we both have 85% on our prereqs, will the degree bump me up if they don't have one?

kayoko on Jan 28th, 2011 6:46 pm wrote: ↑ I think you do need to have a certain level of interest for the career because the job often asks for very repetitive tasks. You don't need to be passionately in love with it, but I think it's something that you can learn to love. Since you have a friend in the field, why not ask for a tour of the lab? I think it's a great way to see how the laboratory functions.
Respiratory therapy and medical radiation therapy are also great careers, although they tend to have more patient interaction than someone who works in a laboratory. In terms of job prospects, I don't think it's fair to compare respiratory therapists and rad tech because this thread's skewed towards laboratory. I do believe that out of the three, laboratory pay scale is lower.
Long commutes are exhausting because you get up earlier and come home later, but still have to deal with homework and family. The key is to be productive during the commute. It's very tough with a family and I've known classmates who've had arguments with their spouses. It became difficult to see the children or even have meals together at times. It takes a certain amount of dedication to go through with a full time program that is very intensive.
In terms of choosing schools, think about where you want to work afterwards. Each school has placements in regions relatively close to where they're located. Michener students will unlikely be placed in Hamilton or London because St. Claire has "dibs" on those sites just as Michener has "dibs" on downtown Toronto hospitals. List of clinical placement sites can be found here. Michener has a slightly higher pass rate than St. Claire but that really doesn't mean too much in my opinion. As long as you pass that exam, everyone starts on equal footing.
Only the admissions officer can answer that question about evaluation of your US credentials. Admissions ranking is a bit of a black box so it is possible to say whether having a degree bumps you up in any way.

studentoflife on Mar 2nd, 2011 4:06 pm wrote: ↑ great thread. i joined this site specifically for this thread lol. i've read most of it and it's been pretty informative and helpful.
i just had a question about the medical laboratory science program at michener vs st clair college. I applied to both schools and have been accepted to st clair. I have yet to receive an acceptance from Michener.
This may be a tough question to answer but is there a noticable difference between the programs at the two schools? Does Michener prepare it's students better than st clair? Perhaps it has a better reputation? Michener's tuition fees are considerably more expensive compared to st clair. $3500 vs $5500. I don't see why i should pay a lot more to go to Michener unless there is a significant advantage.
I've also applied for medical radiation technology program at fanshawe. My application is still pending. From my understanding the job market right now and in the near future for medical radiation technology is fairly bleek. On the other hand the future for medical laboratory technologists is much better. Please correct me if i'm wrong.

kayoko on Mar 3rd, 2011 11:48 am wrote: ↑ I believe that Michener students have more access to equipment and instrumentation, especially with their simulated labs. The instruments at the school are usually just a smaller version of what the clinical places use. It all evens out in the clinical component. My memory tells me that Michener might have a slightly higher pass rate than St. Clair, but not enough to say you should go to one over the other. The process might be a bit different between the two schools, but the end result is the same.
In my opinion, it's mostly a location thing. Most people who went to Michener lived in the GTA.

JaneSmith on Mar 3rd, 2011 10:08 pm wrote: ↑ One difference between the two programs is the fact that St. Clair has quite a few non-MLT related courses (like computers, stats, literature, etc). This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you already have a university degree, it's probably a waste of your time. I noticed that you don't even start micro courses until 3rd semester at st. clair, whereas at Michener you really hit the ground running in first year with all the main disciplines. Another thing Michener has going for it, is its history and its association with U of T and the University Health Network.
However, when it comes down to it, what really matters is passing the CSMLS exam, and all MLT programs will prepare you for that.

BLAYNECLARKE on May 6th, 2011 2:54 pm wrote: ↑ I got accepted to the respiratory therapy program at Michener yesterday. I am wondering if I should go to Michener or Fanshawe...?

Gostosa on May 7th, 2011 8:57 am wrote: ↑ I think you should compare the two schools and then set up PROs & CONs list of both programs, some of my suggestions is to consider these factors in your decision:
1- Finances - very important to a lot of people
- Fanshawe tuition fees webpage fees http://www.fanshawec.ca/EN/fees/818/tuition.asp
- Michener tuition fees webpage http://www.michener.ca/admissions/tuition.php
2- School proximity
- Do you prefer to be close to friends & family?
- The 2 schools are fairly distant, I would assume one is closer than another? If you need to move, you need to add on all living expenses (rent, food, etc) which goes back to finances
3- Internship/clinical hands on experience, and also what are the courses your going to take?
- Fanshawe - http://www.fanshawec.ca/EN/rst2/program ... #RESP-5014
- Michener - http://www.michener.ca/ft/respiratoryth ... hp#howlong
4- Length of program - They're the same, both 3 years
Other things to consider: class size in terms of faculty to student ratio, accessibility of resources such as library, etc.
Hope this helps with your decision!

breezer on May 31st, 2011 8:51 pm wrote: ↑ I have a question for you guys. I have been out of high school since feb 2009, and i just currently ( may 27th) finished my first year of two at fanshawe college. On the osap application there's a couple questions that i don't fully understand. they are....
"I have been out of high school for at least 4 years as of the start of my 2011-2012 study period. "
"Both of the following statements are true:
* I have NOT been a full-time high school student at a high school for at least 12 months in a row on 2 or more occasions.
* I have NOT been a full-time postsecondary student for at least 12 months in a row on 2 or more occasions."
I'm not sure if any of these apply to me or not( one of the financial stuff people at fanshawe said they state 'four' years but its actually 'two' years ?).

CSK'sMom on May 31st, 2011 9:15 pm wrote: ↑ Actually, none of the above apply to you. Re-read the application . You've been in school for the last year, your application should be pre-filled with the appropriate answers from this past school year. The 4 yr mark determines whether you are considered an independent student. If so, your parents info is no longer needed or considered. And it really is 4 years. Often FinAid office staff no very, very little about OSAP ironically.

peter330 on Aug 2nd, 2011 9:55 pm wrote: ↑ This is looking more out of reach the more I look into it. I wish I had paid more attention in highschool, and looks like I'm paying for it now. I was wondering if any people that are in the program could chime in on what their overall marks were, and their averages in the prerequisites. Do colleges look at the average of the last 2 years in highschool or do they look at it from beginning to end? Which college closest to the GTA has the most slack requirements? Tell me I'm not SOL

entity on Aug 10th, 2011 11:30 am wrote: ↑ Hi Peter,
I'm currently heading into my second year of Centennial's Paramedic program. My highschool marks weren't stellar. Graduated HS in 2003. Averaged around a B+ (high seventies) if I remember correctly. But I redid my Gr12 Biology / Chemistry in Summer/Night school and got 90% / 98% respectively -- more because summer school was easy versus my applying myself.
Did a Human Biology degree @ University of Toronto (which happens to be very similar to the joint Paramedic degree, minus any paramedic specific courses) and averaged a 65% (cGPA ~2.3). For my application, I didn't send my univ transcripts. Not sure if the univ experience aided in getting into the program but I'm sure the marks sure as hell wouldn't.
There are quite a few students in our program fresh out of highschool (more than 10 who are moving into the second year) -- and others over 30+ yrs old (couple over 40) -- so there is high variation in experience / educations backgrounds. 24-26y.o. is probably the average age. Many of the students do have a degree though, although not necessarily in Biology etc.
If you are applying for 2012, I would really suggest preparing for the admissions tests because many of the people I talked to referred to the tests as hurdles to getting into the college of their choice. Centennial doesn't have one of these tests but Humber and Niagara do. As a reference point, with my grades, I got into Durham, Centennial, Humber and Niagara, but not into Fanshawe. Also work on the physical aspects of it -- prepare for the physical test requirements listed on Humber and Niagaras website.
Not sure if this was of any help but feel free to ask questions and I'll do my best to help.
Take care and good luck.

deathtomicr0s0ft on Oct 5th, 2011 11:00 am wrote: ↑ So I've just applied for OSAP and received an estimate that means I may end up homeless 4 months in if I don't find a solution to earn some money.
But I was told by someone at Fanshawe that I will be applying for OSAP again in probably February? I'm unclear on what this means. Does this mean that I will be getting the estimate the OSAP application gave me, plus another sum of money upon applying again in February? Or does it mean that the estimate will be recalculated in February, and I will still end up getting somewhere around that amount (+or-) depending on my financial information for 2012?
The woman I spoke to told me that my level 1 for the course will be paid for in the first payment I receive, as well as a down payment on level 2. So then I am paying levels 2,3,4 out of the 40% remainder of my OSAP?
Sorry, having a hard time wording this ! I tried to ask the woman I spoke to in financial at the college I am applying to, but she was impatient and sort of gave me a, I don't know until you're here answer.

CSK'sMom on Oct 5th, 2011 1:13 pm wrote: ↑ Ok, gonna try to decipher this. The OSAP app you just did covers this entire school year 11/12. You will apply again in May or later for the 12/13 school year starting in Sept. The way OSAP works is that the funds are disbursed twice during the school year, at the start of each term. You'd get a disbursement in the fall and again at the start of the winter term.
Now assuming you are taking level 1 and 2 this school year, the fall fees come from this disbursement, and the winter fees come from that disbursement. If you are taking levels 3 and 4 next school year, they get paid from your next OSAP app for the 12/13 school year.

chinaboy1021 on Nov 8th, 2011 11:21 pm wrote: ↑ You mention one thing that you need to look into more. If you cannot do well in terms of learning academic stuff, theory, high work load, whatever, then University may not be suitable for you. Graduating with all Cs is almost completely useless. Even if your employer or whatever does not look at your grades, getting all Cs is a sign that you did not learn the material in depth. The material usually cannot be practically applied, but it DOES lay a sound foundation for further workplace learning.

Syne on Nov 9th, 2011 4:43 am wrote: ↑ Our paths are very similar. Like you, I put 3 years into Fanshawe College, and learned my 3 year lesson.
Now I"m in my 3rd year at UWO. Having gone to both, I can tell you that you can get a 'C' in college simply by attending lectures and cramming the night before an exam, much like high school. A 'C' in university does mean you understand the material with some depth, but often means your heart and soul isn't in it.
If you truly don't understand the material in depth, most profs will not hesitate to fail you. I can not get a 'C' by simply cramming in university, unless I already know the material or it's a total bird course. I maintain a 'B' average. I put the work in, but I get lazy.

vaportrails on Feb 9th, 2012 3:53 pm wrote: ↑ Pfft. Try renting your own place and paying your own bills and having a life, then tell me co-op is going into a savings account. What a joke.
When I signed up for the co-op at Fanshawe College, it was completely stupid. I had a 3.4 GPA my first year and I worked weekends waiting tables, making enough money to barely cover my bills (still was $15hr with tips) on weekends. I was a shoe-in, but I didn't get interviewed because the program coordinators were a husband/wife team, and they cherry-picked their favourite students to talk up to employers. If you weren't on their short list of golden boys, you got snowed - but that didn't stop them from getting everyone to sign up.
I can't speak for other schools, but unless you can ensure there's a merit-based process involved in getting a shot at the co-op jobs, then they shouldn't have the program at all.

Maedhros on Feb 11th, 2012 9:10 am wrote: ↑ I'm currently eating out every day + paying rent & bills, Yet I'm STILL SAVING Cash for uni. I also have an RESP, so I'm not entirely worried about payin for tuition.
I think the fact that your at Fanshawe college is part of the problem. @ Waterloo the coop placement is very fair. I don't know anyone who didn't get a job (unless they didn't apply or else didn't want one).
Again, colleges might work differently then universities, but @ loo it was the employers who decided which students got interviews.

vaportrails on Feb 9th, 2012 4:20 pm wrote: ↑ http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2012 ... 26996.html
This is his second crack at post-secondary education. Castaneda came from Waterloo to study at Fanshawe College before dropping out of the general arts program when he realized it wasn't for him.

nyx716 on Mar 12th, 2012 4:51 am wrote: ↑ Status of my applications so far: waitlisted for Ultrasound at Cambrian, accepted to Medical Radiation Technology at Cambrian, rejected at Fanshawe for Medical Radiation Technology, and rejected at St. Lawrence College for Medical Laboratory Science.
High school average: 90-something
Undergrad gpa: doesn't even start with a 3
Sigh, just found out about my rejections not so long ago -- rejection is always a sucky feeling. Invitation for interview (for MLS) at Michener so far does not look very probable given my track record. I may very well end up in Sudbury, folks.

Maedhros on Feb 11th, 2012 9:10 am wrote: ↑ I'm currently eating out every day + paying rent & bills, Yet I'm STILL SAVING Cash for uni. I also have an RESP, so I'm not entirely worried about payin for tuition.
I think the fact that your at Fanshawe college is part of the problem. @ Waterloo the coop placement is very fair. I don't know anyone who didn't get a job (unless they didn't apply or else didn't want one).
Again, colleges might work differently then universities, but @ loo it was the employers who decided which students got interviews.

vaportrails on Feb 12th, 2012 5:20 wrote: This begs more questions than it answers. You do realize this, right?
Well, I'll admit the co-op at Fanshawe was awful. I would fully expect that a respectable university like Waterloo would have a better structured program with more checks and balances.

Syne on Apr 25th, 2012 7:43 am wrote: ↑ Fanshawe College was finger foods, a bit of time for photos with family, then speeches and the actual convocation ceremony. I only went to the one for my diploma, didn't bother for my certificate. No big reception or dance after.

I'm not sure what Western will be like. It might feel strange to bring my mother and her husband to my graduation ceremony when I'm 32. I guess I could bring my girlfriend or maybe my friend and his wife would like to come.

I imagine a lot of parents will be there snapping photos of their 22-year-old special snowflakes in their rented graduation gowns. I doubt I'll stick around too long. Graduation wasn't really my goal to begin with. It's just sort of going to happen whether I want it to or not.

Syne on Jan 5th, 2010 4:18 pm wrote: ↑
That aside, I have to say I really do like UWO. I mean, it's my first and only experience at a University, but after doing 3 years at Fanshawe, I tell you, the difference is night and day.

The campus is great, and there's always pockets of stuff going on. I was told before enrolling that UWO is a bunch of spoiled, stuck-up rich kids who spend more time getting ready in the morning than they do studying. I don't know if that's true or not, but I find your experience is really what you make of it. Stupid people are easy to ignore, and if you want to learn, be challenged, and meet cool people, there's every opportunity in the world, even as a mature student.

Syne on Jan 21st, 2010 8:08 pm wrote: ↑ Joint programs are usually pretty specific. The MIT (Media Information Technology) degree from Fanshawe/UWO comes to mind.

I would skip the College and phone the University you'd like to attend. Ask which joint programs they're offering because ultimately, it's going to be them who decide whether your College credits are worth anything.

My experience as a College graduate is that a diploma will get you into University, but they don't guarantee you transfer credits. UWO is absolutely miserable about this. They won't accept transfer credits at all whereas Waterloo I hear is a little more generous.

As I say, if it's an actual joint program, it's going to be very specific. If you're looking for transfer credits out of College, that's another matter completely.

Syne on Oct 21st, 2013 11:50 am wrote: ↑ Fanshawe College: Computer Technician (CTN)
Fanshawe College: Technical Writing (TCW)
Western University: B.Sc.
Western University: Certificat de francais practique

Current Work: Clinical Research as a software analyst.

dankup on Sep 12th, 2010 3:19 pm wrote: ↑ Do you know if one year at college = one year at university? So I don't need to stay longer then I should to get my bachelor.

vavzryn on Sep 12th, 2010 3:36 pm wrote: ↑ No, one year at college will not exempt you from one year at university. However, some programs allow you to transfer over to a specific program at a specific university upon graduation. It's possible that some similar courses with the same material and description might transfer over but I highly doubt an entire year will transfer over so you'll still end up having to go for the 4 year time period (but with less courses). Most universities also have a maximum number of course transfers (but that might apply for university-to-university transfers only). I think you also have to apply for the credit transfers after you get accepted.
A close friend of mine went to Fanshawe College for Engineering Technology and graduated with a high GPA but still had to go back to get Grade 12 physics and chem at an adult high school to get accepted into UWO's Engineering program. I also had to do something similar after college to get into Ryerson. So just because you graduate from college doesn't always mean you'll have the pre-req's for any university program.

MarkyX wrote: ↑ Been thinking about attending Fanshawe College, which is located in London Ontario. Unfortunately there isn't a whole lot of information on this school, except for the KPI reports.
So here is a forum post hoping I would get some feedback from people who went or currently at Fanshawe to share their insights on how good/bad the school is.

soul_taker on Mar 16th, 2012 9:41 pm wrote: ↑ You might be looking too far into the future. I'm assuming it's a hard program since i'm only half way through and more than half the people I knew in first semester have dropped out or are still retaking second semester classes.
Expect to stay back working a lot. Expect to (mentally) have your ass kicked. Expect to be able to do what is asked if you after you complete a course. Expect to work a help desk job for a while after you graduate.
Taken from OSAP Performance Indicator [on Seneca]
2008
Graduation Rate 34.4%
Grad Employment Rate 88.2%
2009
Graduation Rate 41%
Grad Employment Rate 87.2%
2010
Graduation Rate 41.7%
Grad Employment Rate 83.9%
2011
Graduation Rate 32.5%
Grad Employment Rate 87.5%

Syne on Mar 17th, 2012 1:38 am wrote: ↑ I did the technician program at Fanshawe, which is basically just the first 2 years of the technologist diploma, verbatim, and I didn't find it difficult at all. Go to class, do the readings, cram for the test and easy 3.5+
By the last semester I was so bored with the course that my marks started slipping. But I made dean's list 1st year without much trouble. Maybe Seneca's program is more intensive though, I'm not sure but those graduation rates look correct. My graduating class was quite small compared to how many enrolled initially.
You're right about the type of work to expect after graduation though. Expect to graduate and make no more than $15hr unless you're one of those parasites that shmooze everyone while they're in school. Then you might do a bit better.

Bskll on Mar 17th, 2012 9:51 am wrote: ↑ seneca is much harder DCN386 has a failure rate over 50%, OPS235 has failure rate around 35%(second semeter course), seneca offers much better co-op(2 work terms, 4 month each, pay ranging from 14 at small companies to 16-17 at bank with some jobs offering lots of overtime, seneca more focused on linux and networking.

Syne on Mar 17th, 2012 10:14 am wrote: ↑ Fanshawe has the same co-op terms and is extremely network-focused.
The only thing that was perhaps different was that Seneca actually finds their co-op students jobs. From what I remember at Fanshawe, you basically had to find your own co-op. Of the handful of incumbent companies the school had available, many weren't even on a bus route, but that didn't really matter because I couldn't even get an interview and I had a 3.5 GPA my first year. Yet another kid with a similar GPA got interviewed by all of the employers.
My personal hunch is that the program coordinators were placing the students they liked with interviews, which if I had found out about at the time, I likely would have flipped my lid over. The other thing is, they made use lease (yes lease) IBM Thinkpad laptops in the first year for $1,500. After spending more money than we would have to buy a laptop outright, we had to give it back. Parents and students got so outraged by this, that 2nd year they ditched the leasing program.
They also auto-enrolled me into the 3rd year, changing my program from CTN to CTY without telling me. Then I had to fill out a bunch of paperwork to get myself removed, because by that point I was so sick of their stupid program and their aggressive money-making tactics, I was ready to get the hell out of there.

Bskll on Mar 17th, 2012 12:37 pm wrote: ↑ seneca has a co-op placement rate of around 95%. every term they take in about 60-80 students and maybe 1-2 do not find a placement.
seneca co-op is almost all through the co-op department. we're not allowed to contact the companies outside of our co-op placement for opportunities/extra work.
you can bring your own co-op term/job if you can find it.
gpa requirement is 3.0, which seems to be pretty tough for most people in the program to maintain.
at seneca, the CNS program has no co-op, if you did co-op, you got switched to the CTY stream.
small town is bound to be a you-vouch-for-me kinda system.
you want to do CTY properly, come to Seneca.

Syne on Apr 11th, 2012 11:00 am wrote: ↑ I would say one of the worst examples of a co-op program is Fanshawe College's IT co-op program. At the time I was too young and naive to ask questions, but looking back it's pretty obvious that the school really helped out a handful of students to get placements and hung the rest out to dry. Yet, because we strangely felt like we were competing with each other for these jobs, nobody talked about it.
Looking back, I would have went for a full refund or threatened a class action because the placement rate couldn't have been above 60%, which is criminally low for a co-op program, especially considering this was well before the economic meltdown.

Syne on Apr 19th, 2012 9:23 am wrote: ↑ Was Fanshawe worse?
[OP], did you apply to Ryerson? It's basically like a college and they accept just about anyone.

Syne on May 9th, 2012 9:53 pm wrote: ↑ A diploma like CNS will bore the crap out of you and probably dull your mind a little after what you've done. Consider grad work or professional school instead.
I took something very similar to CNS at Fanshawe College (basically the first 2yrs of CTY which is the 2yr technician diploma) and I found it to be pretty much a joke. Out the gate, helpdesk jobs were only paying between 12-16hr. They also certified us in Nortel switching (lol.. why) as the company was declaring bankruptcy. Seneca is probably better organized though.

Syne on Aug 13th, 2012 12:15 pm wrote: ↑ Does Seneca work with students to help them with co-op? I remember doing the CTN (2yr version of CTY) at Fanshawe, and the admin were awful at getting people placements. They would help some students but not others..
I also feel that a lot of students go into this program not understanding how network focused it is and think that they will be fixing computers or troubleshooting hardware issues. In fact, almost none of your course work has anything to do with technician work and almost everything to do with business networking; ie. configuring switches and routers. If I had known that this course was basically a Cisco course, I likely never would have enrolled. It would be nice if the different IT programs would amalgamate the 1st year curriculum so that it has a little bit of everything. Programming, Web Design, Network, OS, Linux, Database, Hardware, Server/Client and then let students choose 2nd year which they would like to focus on.

MadFerIt2006 on Aug 15th, 2012 8:58 pm wrote: ↑ The co-op coordinator for CTY while I was there was extremely helpful. But do keep in mind they at the end of the day all they can really do is help you with your resume/cv and interview skills, and maybe give you advice on the best companies to work for.
If anyone does go the Seneca route, I would strongly recommend Canadian Tire Corporate for your term. Start with helpdesk for 4 months, and then apply for infrastructure (wintel) or workstation services. You can try for infrastructure in round 1, but that didn't work for me :P.
Oh and the company to stay the hell away from? IBM, unless you don't mind a call center.

Syne on Aug 15th, 2012 10:18 pm wrote: ↑ When I was in the CTN program at Fanshawe, they would actually line up employers for certain students to interview with. They would forward the resumes, and act as the go-between for the student and employer, going so far as to conduct the interviews on campus. The secret to getting the interviews was not disclosed to me and considering we were all in the same place in life you'd think you'd see relatively even distribution, but I'm not kidding, some students were hung completely out to dry, while other students got to interview with almost every employer on the list.
It was not equal opportunity. I would actually prefer what Seneca is doing and have the school stay out of the process completely. That way they wouldn't have to charge pointless co-op fees that go toward who knows what.
I'm not sure how Seneca does it, but hopefully they have a system to ensure objectivity and prevent the teachers and co-op coordinators from back-dooring their favorite students into the best placements,

jordanr19871 on Aug 18th, 2012 10:52 pm wrote: ↑ colleges will teach you basics and thats about it
its highly suggested to do the co op program if its available
i did the program at fanshawe, didn't finish because i didn't like the cisco networking part but i took all the other courses
alot of them were hands on 'do the work to see how it works'
i had courses from windows mail and web servers, databases, linux and hardware
some of them were very basic and i'd have 1 class thats 1 hour slideshow learning and then 2 hour classes of hands on assignments (building your own sustainable database, working with hardware parts removing memory, adding drives etc)
i haven't kept in touch with anyone whos finished the program so im not sure what they ended up doing job wise
but i think if you partner computer tech with something else you'll have a better chance with a gov type job as the others are low paying
or you need endless certificates (A+, microsoft, ccna, wireless certificates etc)

alanna2332 on Mar 4th, 2013 5:54 pm wrote: ↑ Thanks for the info!
I also applied to some x-ray tech programs as a back up to sonography, and received acceptance to Fanshawe's Medical Radiation Technology. I was going to apply to McMaster's MedRad program where you specialize in Sonography in the 2nd year, but they only look at high school grades, not pre-health so I wouldn't likely get in.
Do you have a back-up if sonography doesn't work out?

JDavid_Le on Mar 7th, 2013 3:54 pm wrote: ↑ Congrats on getting in the X-ray tech program. I also got accepted too. I was wondering if you know how many seats are available for the program as the registrar's office would not release them to me. Will you be taking the offer?

alanna2332 on Mar 7th, 2013 4:03 pm wrote: ↑ Congrats to you too!
There are about 45-50 seats I think. And yes I will be accepting it if I don't get into st clair for sonography.
Will you be accepting Fanshawe?

JDavid_Le on Mar 7th, 2013 6:25 pm wrote: ↑ Yup, I will be accepting it if I don't get a confirmation from Michener for MRT.
If anything, see you this upcoming September. I am already excited.

JDavid_Le on Mar 7th, 2013 3:47 pm wrote: ↑ I have applied to the Medical Radiation Technology program and I'm wondering if there are any differences compare to Michener and Fanshawe College? I got accepted into Fanshawe College but haven't heard anything regarding Michener yet. Problem is I have to accept my offer before May 1st which is a big problem considering Michener does not send out offers until middle of May.

Windsy12345 on Mar 7th, 2013 3:56 pm wrote: ↑ I would accept the offer from Fanshawe for now, and then if you get in to Michener in the middle of May you can accept the new offer and cancel your acceptance at Fanshawe

ccormie4 on Mar 13th, 2013 4:25 pm wrote: ↑ Hey guys! I'm also going to be attending the MRT program at Fanshawe next September! I'm so excited! I hope you all get into your 1st picks in terms of school/program choices, but if you decide to go the Fanshawe route, let me know! Hopefully I'll get to meet you guys soon
Cheers, Chantal.

amurphy714 on 14 Mar 22nd, 2013 2:55 pm wrote: ↑ Hey guys
Wish I had seen this before. I just called St. Clair and apparently im on the waitlist for sonography and she couldnt tell me what number I am on the waitlist. I have received acceptance to the MRT program at fanshawe, so it looks like ill be accepting there.

alanna2332 on Mar 22nd, 2013 3:49 pm wrote: ↑ I will be accepting fanshawe mrt as well. See you in the fall

CarmelinaM on Jun 6th, 2013 12:48 pm wrote: ↑ Congratulations to all of you!! Wow!
I had applied to the BScN at western/fanshawe and MUN and didn't get an acceptance this year,
I have been looking at other fields and sonography and mrt seem to be great although an even more competative entrance.
Can you both let me know your entrance marks for the classes used for admissions individually? And any other things you feel helped you get in? I am 23 and so far just have work experience and a high school diploma, I never knew what to do straight out of HS and feel like I'm paying for it now.
Any help would be great!
Good luck in Sept!!

Windsy12345 on Jun 6th, 2013 6:29 pm wrote: ↑ Hello!
To get in to sonography the only thing I can suggest is maybe taking all of the prerequisite classes at a college and getting A's in them (math, English, bio, chem, and physics). Colleges actually offer ACE, or academic and career entrance courses for free, I took my physics through ACE, and the others through a pre-health program a few years ago, all at St Clair. Then you should just study and do your best on the HOAE test. Before I applied, I emailed the college to ask how to better my chances of getting accepted and the only thing the woman told me to do was to have all A's in the prerequisites... And I've heard admissions are based on 50% grades and 50% HOAE score. So if all of the top applicants have straight A's in the required courses then I'd assume it really must come down to HOAE scores?

JDavid_Le on Mar 22nd, 2013 5:21 pm wrote: ↑ Congrats, I will be accepting the MRT program at Fanshawe as well. There is a campus tour tomorrow at Fanshawe College. Will any of you be attending the MRT section?

amurphy714 on Mar 23rd, 2013 6:54 am wrote: ↑ I guess there were over 1000 applications to the program. So its a huge accomplishment to get in.[...]