Living & Learning Online
Long Vo (Liam)
First Semester (In My Home Country)
"When it rains it pours"
While I made the decision to progress during the world pandemic, I woke up on the morning of August 7, 2020 with an email from Langara that made me jump out of the bed.
“We regret to inform you that in consultation with several departments at Langara, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the start of the Supply Chain program that was scheduled to begin in Fall, 2020.”
Luckily, every cloud has a silver lining.
After a series of exchanged emails and thanks to the Langara support team and program coordinators, I found the best possible replacement for my case by switching from Supply Chain and Logistics (“SCLP”) to PDD Advanced Accounting for the Fall 2020 Semester, which was such a really great help. Four out of five courses could be transferred to SCLP in the later semesters. My family boarded the airplane and landed in Vancouver in the end of August.
14 days in quarantine was a memorable, unwanted experience. Our family has never been together for such a long time in a compact space like this before. But we took advantage of these peaceful moments to enjoy after several hard months. Finally, we arrived in Canada and prepared for the beginning of a new life.
Langara Student Success Course
Among many other things that I had done during that time, I spent a week working through the Langara Student Success Course (LSSC). It was one of the best actions I had done before the official program began. For a new, mature student who did not know anything about Langara system or how the courses and online study would be at Langara, I gained so much confidence by mastering the LSSC. I familiarized myself with BrightSpace, the grade system, course outlines, Langara email and ID, Langara information system and the tips to avoid plagiarism, which are the essential components that helped me in doing so well in the first two semesters at Langara.
For any new student who is going to study at Langara, this course is highly recommended. Trust me. If you can do well with this course, your ability to study and get good grades in the later courses will follow.
Online Study
Studying online has some advantages. Except some scheduled sessions and exam dates, your time is so flexible and lots of cost and time for commuting to school are eliminated. In exchange, you will have less chance to meet friends and instructors, and it is really difficult to find a convenient time for all worldwide team members in group work.
The quizzes and exams look easier at first, as they are often set in open book format. However, you will be required to do more reading as the amount of knowledge needed to solve them increases accordingly.
One session in the LSSC course, and the last thing I would like to remind you all about, is time management. Doing the course online at your own pace is great, but keep in mind to stay away from the internet blackhole, which could take away hours and days from your study time, if you cannot resist its seduction.
Wishing you all are safe and successful,
Liam