Current Students

“When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal; you do not change your decision to get there.” – Zig Ziglar

On Tuesday, June 15, we moved into Step 2 of the BC Restart Plan, which allows for recreational travel in the province, larger gatherings and more opportunities for sports and exercise, amongst other things.

Over the past year and a half, federal and provincial governments have introduced COVID-19 relief measures aimed at supporting students – one of the groups hardest hit financially by the pandemic. What does this mean for you? It means there are more funding options available than ever before to help you return to school.

With all of these supports in place, you may be wondering what you need to do to get started. Check out the following funding options and start realizing your goals:

So you’ve registered for your classes and now you’re looking forward to having a bit of fun and down time before you start university. Great! But before you head out on your summer adventures, there’s one more thing you should be thinking about now – where are you going to live?

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada and we begin by remembering and honouring the 215 children who were stolen from their families and killed by the Government of Canada while at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. Flags at VIU remain lowered until further notice in recognition of the Indigenous children who were killed while at the school, as well as the families and communities impacted.

Top five questions about university majors

New university students are often asked, “What are you studying?” 

But what exactly does this mean, and how is your university “major” different from the degree you ultimately hope to earn? One of the challenges university students face is that there are so many new terms to learn and keep straight. Things can quickly get confusing. 

Meet Annie Lehky, a second-year Culinary Arts student at Vancouver Island University (VIU) who has a passion for all things creative. She loves music, reading and writing short stories and poetry, and has recently started dabbling in painting as well. Annie has spent the last two years at VIU learning about what it takes to make it in the restaurant industry.

In this issue of the Pulse, we share resources to help those struggling to choose courses, an important update from Island Health on the vaccination program and a fun, free event to help you build leadership skills and meet other students, as well as the information we know some of you have been looking for about student housing. Read on to learn more! 👇

Are you wondering if a career in trades or applied technology is right for you? Careers in these fields can pay off in a big way – with as little as nine months of education. The labour outlook for these jobs remains strong, with more than 106,000 jobs expected to open up in just the trades, transport and equipment operators sector alone.

May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada. This year’s theme is recognition, resilience and resolve and “honours the contributions and the diverse stories of peoples of Asian descent in Canada, which are rooted in resilience and perseverance.