November 18, 2009
Money in your Midst - Financial Aid Opportunities
By Andrea Ykema

Being left-handed can get you a $1000 scholarship. Attending your high school prom dressed in duct tape can get you $3000. And if confectionary technology is up your alley, there's $5000 waiting for you from the American Association of Candy Technologists.

Scratching up the financing necessary to attend college tends to be overwhelmingly challenging. Chances that you've collected tens of thousands of dollars in your piggy bank are slim. The likelihood that a well-endowed stranger has written you into their will is also quite slim. Most of us have to combine a motley collection of savings, parent-loans, government-loans, part-time work, scholarships, and bursaries in order to make our way through four years of post-secondary education.

Admittedly, scholarships and bursaries are the most attractive option. There is no money to be paid back (and obviously no lingering interest) and no money out of our own pockets. However, there are other sacrifices that must be made in the search for free money. Those sacrifices include - but are not limited to - time, energy, creativity and, sometimes, dignity (come on... duct tape at your prom?!).

People do not part with a thousand bucks easily. Expect to work hard to catch the eye of those who are offering scholarships. Before you begin searching for scholarships, prepare to dedicate yourself to the hunt. Some students have found it very beneficial to spend a summer applying for scholarships full-time, rather than working their regular job at McDonalds or Seven Eleven. That kind of dedication will afford you the opportunity to dig deep into the different places where scholarships can be found...

Scholarship Search Engines: Websites like StudentAwards.com and FastWeb Canada offer convenient, centralized places from which to search for appropriate scholarships. Many scholarships found on these types of search engines offer around $1000 for writing an essay about a classic piece of literature. Others require a piece of multi-media art to be submitted. Still others are looking for original poetry or high school GPAs. All manner of options will be encountered!

Corporate Scholarships: Sometimes, corporate scholarships are not listed in scholarship search engines. These scholarships are offered by companies like Pepsi or Apple, and can be found by digging around on the company's website.

Educational Institution Scholarships: Don't forget to look on the website of the school you plan to attend. Currently, Columbia has six different new-student scholarships/bursaries distributed to 54 new students, and 41 continuing student scholarships/bursaries available to about 70 students. Many students miss the advertisements for new-student offers in the giant shuffle of application paperwork. Being aware of the opportunities found at your own educational institution can be an easy way to access financial aid.

Don't let finances deter you from pursuing the education you really want. After all, if there's a scholarship out there for being left-handed or wearing a duct tape dress, there's probably a scholarship for you!

Check out http://www.financialaidfinder.com/scholarships/unusual-scholarships/ to see more wild scholarships for average students!
Columbia Bible College

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November 5, 2009
The Trilingual Dictation Comma a Tremendous Success Exclamation Mark - The first trilingual dictation attracts students of all levels
Over 250 high school, CEGEP and university students and members of the general public turned out to take part in HEC Montréal's first trilingual dictation, organized to mark the "Journées du savoir" held at Quebec universities from November 4 to 7. The dictation, on the theme of "I Take Care of My Planet," was divided into three 150-word texts, each with the same degree of difficulty. The French text was read by Marie-Éva de Villers, author of the Multidictionnaire and Director of the Quality of Communication Centre at HEC Montréal, while the English was read by comedian and radio personality Christopher Hall, and the Spanish by Catalina Lopez-Correa, Vice-President, Scientific Affairs, with Génome Québec.

"The trilingual dictation was such a success that the School is thinking of making it an annual event," said Kathleen Grant, Director of the HEC Montréal Communications and Student Recruitment Office. "Acquiring a second and third language has become essential, and is now one of students' main concerns. The rising enrolment in the School's trilingual BBA program confirms their interest year after year." A team of some sixty correctors divided into three language groups marked each copy of the dictation. The dictation was also broadcast in real time on the School's Website, allowing students who were unable to make it to the School to listen in and test their language skills. A correction guide will be posted on the site for them next week. Note that only those dictations completed at the School by registered entrants were corrected and eligible for prizes.

The dictation was separated into two levels for each language. High school students could put down their pencils after the first paragraph, of about fifty words, while everyone else had to complete the entire dictation. The winners of the level 1 dictation are Raphaëlle Bruneau-Arbour of Villa Ste-Marcelline (gold); Nadia Saritsky-Ramirez of Collège Pierre-Laporte (silver) and Olivia Souaid of Villa Ste-Marcelline (bronze). For the level 2 version, three students from HEC Montréal got the highest marks. They are Ève Lamargot (gold); Olivier Normandin (silver); and Rosalie Ouellet-Delorme (bronze).

The trilingual BBA HEC Montréal is the only business school in North America to offer a trilingual Bachelor's in Business Administration. Close to 400 students are currently enrolled in the program. The first trilingual BBA cohort graduated in spring 2008.
HEC Montréal

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October 25, 2009
Providence Freemen Take Home MCAC Championship
Andry Giesbrecht recorded a goal and an assist, Brennen White earned the blank sheet, and the Providence Freemen won the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference Championship banner Sunday afternoon with a 2-0 victory over the Canadian Mennonite University Blazers.

The MCAC Championship featured a re-match of last year's final that saw CMU fall to Providence 2-1 in a game that needed overtime to be solved. With the history, rivalry, and a title on the line, Sunday's game was expected to be a competitive and physically demanding match-up.

The Freemen took control of the play right from the opening whistle as they mounted attack after attack. In the 37th minute, after stopping a counter-attack from the Blazers, the Freemen moved the ball up the right wing and then onto the foot of Mario Giesbrecht. Mario then showed MCAC fans why a CCSN (http://www.ccsnonline.com/) blogger referred to him as a 'Bulldog' as he battled and accelerated past a CMU defender and then fed a pass into the penalty area that his brother, Andry, made no mistake in finishing.

CMU then came out stronger in the second half and started to control play for the first part of the half. However, the pressure didn't amount to scoring opportunities as the defense prevented any shots on net and keeper Brennen White scooped up any through balls and crosses into the penalty area.

Coach Ward, seeing the change in pressure, then substituted the always energetic freshman forward Brendan Wiens into the game to create a spark for his squad. The move paid off within minutes as Andry Giesbrecht cut across the middle, caught the attention of the defenders, and then sent a through ball down the right side that Wiens ran on to and put behind the CMU keeper. The game then finished with both teams attacking aggressively, but the score ended at 2-0 which was enough to give the Providence Freemen their fourth consecutive MCAC title.

Individual awards were also handed out after the game as player of the game awards were given to CMU defender Jeff Klassen and Providence defender Kaiten Critchlow. The tournament MVP was also presented following the match as "The South American Sensation" Andry Giesbrecht earned the honour totaling 4 goals and 2 assists in the 2-game tournament.

Providence Freemen head coach Martin Ward left the game impressed with both the way his team played and with the way that CMU stepped up their play in the championship game.

"I think it was good for us to have a good, hard game," Coach Ward said. "CMU always seems to raise their performance in the championship game, and they did again today. It was good to win the championship, I thought everyone played well and contributed to the win. It was a hard game too, and that's what we needed. It makes us realize that we need to continue to work hard as we enter next weekend."
Providence College and Seminary

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October 12, 2009
Columbia Bible College Enrolment Shows a Slight Increase
Columbia Bible College welcomed 530 students this September – slightly up from the fall 2008 student body number. Significant increases were seen in new student enrolments (16%). Enrolment in men’s residence was up 24%, while women’s residence saw a decrease, bringing resident totals equal to last year’s numbers. Degree program enrolment was steady while diploma and certificate programs increased 33% and 8% respectively.

"We are very encouraged this fall term," said Melanie Olfert, Director of Enrolment Management and Marketing. "Although our headcount remains similar to last year, our full and part time enrolments are up 10% over last year."

Showing particular strength are the Biblical Studies and Caregiving/Counselling programs, and an exceptionally high new student enrolment in Youth Work. The Quest adventure discipleship program had waiting lists for the third time in four years. The newest course offering, Intro to Business, got off to a great start with a full course roster.

"Our Orientation activities were well attended," Olfert said. "We know that students who feel welcome and cared for, are well informed, and feel like they belong are more likely to remain engaged in their course work and the college." The college plans to devote more time and effort toward developing stronger retention initiatives and plans for the future.

Columbia Bible College, located in beautiful Abbotsford, BC, Canada, provides Degree, Diploma, Certificate, University Transfer, Online, Enrichment, and Continuing Studies programs and courses to people in BC, across Canada, the USA, and abroad. The College’s mission is to prepare people for a life of discipleship, service and ministry.
Columbia Bible College

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September 9, 2009
Canadian Tourism College is now a Microsoft IT Academy
Canadian Tourism College's membership in the Microsoft IT Academy is a first for a private Tourism & Hospitality institution and just the 14th such designation in the province including such institutions as UBC, BCIT and several public school districts. This is recognition of CTC's commitment to student success through excellence in IT education.

"This is a real honour for CTC and a significant benefit to our students," stated Gwen Donaldson, co-owner of the college and Vancouver campus Director.

The MS IT Academy program provides educators with the tools they need to effectively train students on Microsoft technologies, prepare students for the global economy, and create a highly skilled workforce. This membership program offers curricula, courseware, and online learning for students focused on a profitable career path, life-long learning, and Microsoft certification.

"We are now able to offer our students a significantly higher level of recognition and industry accreditation than ever before," say Kim Russell, Donaldson's business partner. "When you combine the MS IT programs with duel certification with IATA or the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) certification, our students are recognized by the industry as job-ready and very desirable."

Canadian Tourism College has been in business since 1980 with two campuses in Vancouver and Surrey BC and has successfully helped thousands of students launch a rewarding career in Hospitality & Tourism.

For more information about CTC, please contact:
Kim Russell 604-582-1122 Surrey Campus
Gwen Donaldson 604-736-8000 Vancouver Campus
Canadian Tourism College

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