Any advice for a Chinese student who wants to study at CC in Toronto?

Former SCC and CC student Yue Cao transferred from Suzhou Centennial College's Finance Accounting program to CC's Business Accounting in 2019. Her pathway continued to Toronto Canada's York University Financial Business Economics program. She tells her experience and shares advice for other Chinese students thinking of studying in Canada.

"At Suzhou Centennial College, I received an all-English education. It was almost the same educational environment as studying in Canada. Studying at SCC gave me a buffer stage; my high school and middle school were all in Chinese. Coming to Canada, it may have been difficult to adapt to the all-English environment without SCC education."

Once she decided to pursue this unique pathway to Canada, Yue did not find it difficult to transition from SCC to CC with the help of her advisors. She notes, "all the professors at SCC are very nice and willing to help. They answer your questions and ask if you have any problems." She tells other students, "if you have problems, ask, don't be shy."

What is her experience like in Canada? "Toronto has different cultures and is safer than other cities. The university options are also better than other cities." While Yue's biggest challenge was learning the language, it was seen as a reward when her English started to improve.

Just as SCC did, Centennial College assisted her every step of the way from enrollment to her University pathway. "The first time I came to Centennial College, I didn't know how to choose a course or where my class was or how to register my account. My advisor helped with all of that."

"The Centennial College website has suggestions on how to transfer to university. It helped me know which partner schools I could transfer to after graduation from my program at Centennial. An advisor also told me which courses and how many credits I could transfer to university."

The teaching model in Centennial offered her an opportunity to prepare for bigger class sizes and different students. "Centennial helped me before going to York University. At Centennial, it is a small class size compared to York. At York, there are at least 50 classmates; at Centennial, there are around 20-30 classmates. The small class sizes at Centennial made it easier for me to ask questions to the professor, and the professor could easily remember each student."

She advises other Chinese students who want to study in Canada, "my experience is very rich. It was a different experience of learning from a college in China, to a college in Canada, to a Canadian University. Work hard, study hard, improve your GPA and study English. You will gain a different experience, and there are many chances to find a job and find friends."

Yue Cao is currently in the second year of her program and York University and has a part-time job. She hopes to find full-time work after earning her degree. "I will stay in Toronto; I like this city."

News/ Photos provided by Centennial College

Editing by CIE of Suzhou Centennial College