Experience Guide
Make the most out of your university career by taking advantage of all that Laurier has to offer you. Volunteer work, campus clubs, leadership programs, studying abroad, work experience – there are so many ways you can extend your classroom experience into the real world.
Year-to-Year Experience Guides
The following is a year-to-year outline of the kinds of experiential learning activities that work well with your program.
Be Inspired: Maximize Your Academic Opportunities
First Year
- Take Digital Media and Journalism courses and technical media production courses in the Conestoga College Contemporary Media Arts graduate certificate.
- Explore other programs of interest through electives.
- Complete Foundations courses in your first two years.
- Register for a course with an experiential-learning component (e.g., writing for news).
- Review your program requirements and plan for a successful degree path.
- Attend the first-year meet-and-greet.
Middle Years
- Explore courses in related areas of study and begin thinking about a minor or an option to complement your degree.
- Submit your academic work to Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal for Contemporary Connections for a chance to be published.
- Take a research-focused or a professional practicum course.
- Consider taking social innovation or entrepreneurship courses.
- Meet with academic advising to make key academic decisions.
- Continue to take technical media production courses in the Conestoga College Contemporary Media Arts graduate certificate.
Final Year
- Learn about Research or Instructional Assistantship opportunities.
- Complete your capstone project in your final year and present it to the public.
- Apply for essay-writing or public-speaking competitions.
- Thinking of pursuing graduate school?
- Talk to your professors and visit the Career Centre.
- Sign up for a scholarship proposal-writing workshop or book a writing consultation for help with your proposals.
- Complete your Conestoga College Contemporary Media Arts graduate certificate.
Be Involved: Explore Work, Volunteer and Leadership Experience
First Year
- Join student clubs such as the Digital Media and Journalism Student Association or a special interest club. Or create your own!
- Participate in residence leadership opportunities or attend LOCUS events.
- Contribute to Laurier’s biweekly newspaper, The Sputnik, or submit a creative piece to Blueprint Magazine.
- Get involved with Radio Laurier.
- Explore your interests by volunteering on campus (e.g., Sustainability Office, Schlegel Centre's Innovation Squad, peer programs, Students' Union and more).
- Join intramural sports or participate in recreational activities.
Middle Years
- Connect with local organizations to learn about volunteer and internship opportunities (e.g., Rogers TV).
- Be a note taker through the Accessible Learning Centre.
- Volunteer to be an O-Week Icebreaker and welcome incoming first years.
- Seek off-campus opportunities at places like J-Source, BScene or newspapers such as BrantNews or the Brantford Expositor.
- Display your work online on a public platform.
- Look for videographer/photographer positions in departments on campus.
- Attend the speaker series and workshops organized by the program.
Final Year
- Network with Laurier and Conestoga faculty and consider attending the Canadian Association of Journalists conference.
- Apply for an executive position in an on-campus club.
- Attend the Career and Job Fairs to network with employers.
- Look into the LaunchPad program for the opportunity to discover, validate and launch an innovative new venture.
Be Engaged: Broaden Your Perspective
First Year
- Visit the Diversity and Equity Office and become a member of the student service provider groups.
- Visit Laurier International to learn about international options available to you to enrich your university experience.
- Complete the Intercultural Effectiveness Certificate to build your intercultural competence and global perspective.
Middle Years
- Visit the Indigenous Student Centre for Soup Thursday.
- Consider the Alternative Reading Week trip with Habitat for Humanity.
- Study abroad for an academic term.
Final Year
- Complete the Diversity Certificate.
- Consider attending the Ashoka U Exchange.
Checklists
Completing the checklists below will also help ensure your academic, professional, and personal success during your time at Laurier – and beyond.
Academic Success Checklist
- Discover the Library – librarians can help you find and evaluate scholarly information for your assignments.
- Book a career consulting appointment to explore career options in the context of your academic studies.
- Complete the Student Awards scholarship and bursary applications on LORIS.
- Visit Writing and Study Skills to get feedback on your work, develop your learning skills, and further enhance your writing.
- Attend the Further Education Fair to learn about postgraduate programs.
- Apply to graduate and attend convocation to celebrate your success.
Experience Checklist
- Get involved with the Students’ Union (e.g., Foot Patrol, EcoHawks, Food Bank, Healthy Lifestyles).
- Apply for part-time jobs on campus (e.g., Student Publications, Athletics and Recreation, Residence, U-Desk, Bookstore, peer programs, and more).
- Have your resumé reviewed in the Career Centre.
- Earn your Career Development Certificate.
- Be a changemaker – visit the Community Innovation Hub and get involved in social innovation.
- Get to know the location of the Wellness Centre for emotional, mental and physical health support.
- Create a profile on LinkedIn and laurier.tenthousandcoffees.com to connect with Laurier alumni.
- Add co-curricular activities to your Laurier Experience Record.
- Network with alumni at career events to gain insight into possible career paths.
- Apply to part-time, summer and full-time jobs for after graduation through the Career Centre’s Navigator portal.
Career Opportunities
When you're ready to start thinking about your life after graduation, you should check out the career and postgraduate options for people with a degree in Digital Media and Journalism.