So you want to go to school?

Most of the time, I let the travelling recruiters post the blogs on here. However, as the “web recruiter” for SAIT, I get a lot of the same questions they do. So, in an attempt to boost readership, I too, will start contributing.

One of my great passions is post secondary. I think there is a program or a school for everyone. What is so fantastic about SAIT, is the programs are short term (mostly one or two year), but they have awesome employment opportunities attached to them.

Since SAIT will begin accepting applications for fall 2010 as of November 1, 2009, I thought this would be a great opportunity to create a Top Five Tips list for researching SAIT. So, hang on, here we go!

1) Visit the website – Wherever you decide to attend, your first step should be to visit the website. SAIT.ca will give you invaluable information about the programs and student life opportunities available. It will also save you time. You will find out exactly what we offer. Visit sait.ca for a complete list of certificates, diplomas, applied degrees and apprenticeship opportunities available.

2) Attend Open House – This year, SAIT is holding two Open Houses! The first one is taking place October 30 and 31st. What is so great about this Open House, is that it is happening right before SAIT begins accepting applications for the year. The Open House is a great way to find out more about the program you are interested in. You get to ask questions and get all your information to make an informed decision.

3) Take a campus tour, sign up for Student For A Day – What I always ask students is “Would you buy a car, without test driving it?” The same goes for your education. Test drive it! SAIT offers lots of great campus tour and Student For A Day opportunities. Check them out and make an informed decision.

4) Speak to an advisor – SAIT has a lot of different ways to do this. The most common is to come in and speak to someone. Students Services offers advising at their main office on a drop-in basis, so no appointment is necessary. If you are from out of town, you can call us, e-mail us or chat with us on msn. There is no excuse why you cannot get all the information you need, in order to apply.

5) Apply early and to more than one program – Don’t wait until the end of the admissions period to apply to SAIT. Many of our programs fill up quickly, so the longer you wait, the less likely you will receive admission. Also, I encourage students to apply to more than one program. Sure, application fees are $50 each, but what if you do not gain admission? I tell students to take control, and submit multiple applications. Have Plan B and Plan C in place.

I hope everyone checks out these application tips. Best place to apply is sait.ca. If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear them!

Hope to see you soon!

Jay

Alberta's North East - Love it!

Monday September 21 found me scrambling in the office for about an hour trying to get myself organized for my first trip of the season. I am usually a pretty organized person but the fact that I had left the week prior for a few days in Orlando, Florida left me feeling like I was forgetting something.

Once I got myself organized and got on the road I drove for eight hours to reach my first destination of Fort McMurray, AB. The drive was beautiful and thankfully uneventful but I was certainly happy to relax in the hotel with a nice meal and the season premiere of House.

We had a full day of events on Tuesday including Fort McMurray Composite, Westwood and Father Patrick Mecredi. SAIT was popular when it came to our Apprenticeship programs, Professional Cooking and Business but I was surprised by how many people were looking for Audio/Sound Engineering.

Wednesday was a relaxing day compared to the day before. After driving from Fort McMurray to Athabasca, I spent a very energetic couple of hours with the students of Edwin Parr High School. The majority of the questions I fielded were about the Trades, Business programs and about the scholarships that SAIT has available.

After the event I drove to Cold Lake, my favorite place in Alberta! I was happy to stay in the Lakeshore Inn again as it is a beautiful Bed and Breakfast right on the Lake. For dinner I went to Clark’s General Store and had the Blackened Haddock, which was fantastic, as usual.

After the Athabasca event on Wednesday I didn’t have another event until Thursday night and was able to enjoy the room at Lakeshore to the fullest. I had plenty of time to get some administrative work done and feel like I have caught up slightly.

The event on Thursday night was held at the new Cold Lake High School and was a great success. I was pretty steady all night with questions about Broadcast Systems, Information Technology and of course with the programs that are available through the Non-Commissioned Subsidy Education Plan with the Canadian Forces.

Friday took me home. The drive from Cold Lake to Calgary was wonderful. This time of year the leaves are turning and this area of Alberta is spotted with hills, valleys and lakes.

Next week, Edmonton!

The Ghosts of Recruiters Past

Hello avid SAITale readers,

It is great to be back on the road. The adventures begin again. This past week found me in the beautiful region of the Kootenays in British Columbia. It is my opinion that this may be one of the most beautiful places on earth.

I visited many cities during this tour. One of them was Nelson, BC. If any of you are familiar with the city, you may know one of the hotels is haunted. Not urban legend haunted, actually haunted. This was confirmed by the front desk at the hotel. She told me the ghost’s name is Fred, the former owner of the hotel and he haunts room 335. To make things worse, the front desk told me children refuse to stay in this room. Spooky, huh?!

All this information was too much for me to deny the vibes I felt in the hotel. I promptly grabbed my bags and headed to the Best Western. Although fellow recruiters made fun of me the entire trip, I’m happy to report I had a terrific and terror free sleep that evening.

Stay tuned. Things are just getting started!

Peace, Jason

The First Week....

Sunday, September 13, 2009. 9:47pm

New outfit. Check.

Alarm clock set. Check.

Employee forms filled out. Check.

Nervous. Check.

Excited. Check. Check.

Thursday, September 17, 2009. 3:47pm

There are lots of things to think about when starting a new job and preparing for my first day at SAIT was no different. My name is Sarah Kelman and I’ve officially survived my first week as SAIT’s newest Student Recruiter. Almost. It’s only Thursday afternoon so time will tell :)

Actually, it’s been a really fun week and I’ve already learned a LOT about SAIT. This will be my second year of recruiting for post-secondary but my first working at a Polytechnic. I’m already noticing so many differences in programs and interests but one thing remains the same – I see how excited students are to be at school because they are pursuing subjects and careers that they love.

I’m so looking forward to getting out onto the road again this fall – it’s always a blast meeting fresh faces and exploring all the interesting places we get to travel to. Can't wait to see you out there!

:) Sarah

Long Time, No See

Wow, time has passed quickly. I can’t believe I haven’t written since the Raggae Festival. So much has happened since and I will try to cover it all without boring you to tears.

At the end of August we attended Expo Latino. This event was a dry one for us last year but what a difference the location of our booth can make. We saw almost quadruple the amount of people at our booth then we did last year. I very much enjoyed watching the dancing that happened spontaneously throughout the festival, there is nothing better than to watch really good dancers’ dance.

From September 1-7 SAIT hosted the Competitors of WorldSkills in our on campus residence. It was so much fun having people from all over the world visit us for that week. We also set up a booth in the Information Tent down at the Stampede Grounds and enjoyed answering questions from prospective student s and the general public. The energy and excitement that World Skills brought to Calgary was fantastic and I’m happy to say I was a part of it.

During that same week, SAIT unveiled the new TTC Complex due to be completed in 2012. Talk about exciting! The architecture is phenomenal and really has that “wow” factor. I can’t wait to see it all completed and I am excited to see what the future holds for our students and our community.

We welcomed our newest Student Recruitment Officer, Sarah Kelman on Monday. Sarah has extensive experience in post-secondary recruitment so we are sure she will bring a lot of new ideas and some great energy to our team. With the addition of a new team member, we are hoping to kick up our attendance at events a notch.

I am getting geared up to head out on my first recruitment trip of the season. I will be heading to Fort McMurray, Athabasca and Cold Lake on Monday September 21.

In the meantime, on a personal note, I am heading to Orlando FL on September 17 to participate in a Professional Development opportunity that will teach me new tricks to help with my participation in my only outside activity, Winterguard. What I am most excited about is the Friday night movement class that is being taught by Mia Michaels, from So You Think You Can Dance! I will be sure to post some pictures in my next BLOG. Wish me luck!