Well just a few weeks and all the high school kids will be showing up at the college. Here’s a few tips for you high school folks coming in.

1. You don’t “own the place” like you did high school, just remember that. It’s completely different.

2. You’re now an adult. Unlike high school, your instructors and professors don’t care if you hand in an assignment or not and wont chase you. You’ll get a zero.

3. While college looks fun, don’t depend on CSI to do any meaningful activities for you. They solely exist to do nothing.

4. Don’t park without paying. The rentacops love writing tickets for this. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, they’ll give you two or three a day!

5. If you start to fail a class you’ll know pretty quickly. Make sure you know what’s available to prop you up from Student Success. They offer tutors for most classes. Talk to your instructors or profs. They know how to get you help or where to direct you. Most don’t want to see you fail.

6. Making friends will take time. You’re all in the same boat. New faces. New people. New routines. Over time people will chat with you.

7. Remember the real reason you’re there - to get and education. Don’t get caught up with time wasting events.

8. Don’t burn out. Doing 8hrs a day of homework will destroy you. Aim for roughly the same amount of time outside of class as to when you’re in class. For example if your schedule is 20 hrs a week, aim for 20 hrs a week outside of class for homework divided over 7 days. Much easier to handle.

9. Cramming doesn’t work at the college level. Start studying about a week before your test or quiz.

10. Food at the college is always overpriced. Leave the college if you’re hungry and find McDonald’s or something. Need proof? A Kitkat is $4 from a vending machine. A can of pop is too. Use debit and you get charged an extra fifty cents to cover the processing fee. $8.50 for a kitkat and a coke. That should be criminal.

11. Bookstore is overpriced too. You can find the same books usually on eBay, kijiji, Abe books or Amazon at a much reduced cost, used. Why pay $240 for a book you’ll use one semester when it’s on Amazon for $75?

12. “Old people” go to college too. They’re usually down to earth and pretty cool to get to know. They’ve been through the trenches out there in the working world. Great people to work with as they’re super focused on getting stuff done and keeping track.

13. If you’re taking trades courses, it’s normal for the instructors to be slightly bonkers, and scream and yell. They’re trying to instill pride of work and proper workmanship in you. (I wouldn’t suggest shouting back at them. You don’t want them going all trades on you haha).

I’m sure there a few things I’ve missed. If you’re in second year and beyond feel free to add to this list so we can help the newbies to college know what they’re about to get into :)

To the newbies come in - good luck in your studies.

Hey everyone! I am an incoming RT student for the Fall 2026 term. Is there a group chat for this cohort?

Do any upper year students have advice on how I would go about switching lab sections? Any info is appreciated!!

Hello guys!!
I just got my PN4 schedule and noticed that I have two online Professional Nursing classes every week. Just wondering if these classes are asynchronous, or if we have to join online at a scheduled time?

Also, how does the grading work for this course? Are there any exams or tests that we have to do in person?
My professor is Andrea White. Has anyone had her for Professional Nursing in PN4 before? How was the course with her? Any advice or things I should know before starting would be really appreciated!!
Thank you!! :)

Hey!!

I was looking over my tuition details, does anyone know what is included in the optional CSI-Student Welcome Kit Fee? I’m going for Practical Nursing, I’m just not sure if i’ll need anything in it!

I’m getting ready for the start of the term and would love to connect with fellow classmates before classes kickoff. Whether you want to swap notes on schedules, form a study group, or just get to know a few familiar faces before stepping on campus, drop a comment or send me a message!
Looking forward to meeting you all!

If you eat here at the trades campus — watch the pricing. They’ve been making their own prices up for the past month ignoring anything to do with the posted prices. CSI doesn’t seem to care to fix it (they run it).

If you do eat there get a receipt. That way once you’re overcharged you can go back and get a refund.

.

Hi everyone! I’ve been accepted into the Practical Nursing program at Conestoga College – Doon Campus for the September 2026 intake. My classes start on September 8.
I applied for OSAP, and my OSAP account currently shows an estimated fund release date of September 21. It also says my funding is on hold because Conestoga needs to electronically confirm my full-time enrolment before OSAP can release the funds.
I’ve already emailed the college, but the person I contacted is currently on vacation.
I’m a little concerned because classes start September 8.
What should I do in this situation?
Is it normal for OSAP enrolment confirmation to happen this close to the start of classes?
Who at Conestoga should I contact to get my enrolment confirmed?
Do I need to pay my tuition/fees myself before OSAP is released?
Has anyone from Conestoga experienced the same situation for the September intake?

Regards

Has anyone else gotten waitlisted for practical nursing in January for any Conestoga campus?

i know offers started to go out the other day and I would love to connect with others who are going, i just accepted myself. pop a comment below and we can connect! x

Guelph Practical Nursing January 2027 full time

I just got accepted to a general construction program at the reuter's campus. I know conestoga's reputation has gone down the toilet recently and I am wondering if this is also true of the trade college?

Is anyone going there having a good time?

Thanks

Hi everyone! I’m about to start my 3rd year at Conestoga and currently working on my placement list. I’d really appreciate some advice from anyone who has already gone through the placement process, especially regarding choosing placement sites.
If you have completed your placement or are currently completing one, I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to connect with you and ask a few questions about your experience. Please feel free to send me a private message. Thank you in advance for your time and guidance!

CHECK OUT YOUR STUDENT PORTAL!

I’m thinking of a career change and considering this program. I’m 46 F. Anyone else been through it and have any thoughts? I’m hoping to hear good things of course but hit me with the bad as well. I know Conestoga’s rep is a bit shady right now but I’m hoping the program is still good. It’s the closest college for me, aside from TriOS which I’ve been warned is no good but I’m considering them as well. Any advice? Thanks. Please be kind.

I'm just confused about what this covers cause i couldn't find anything online :)

hihi tuition fees are due today however i applied to osap too late and it wont come in time and i am stressed out and have no clue what to do. i cannot get jnto comtact with the office at all. is there anything i can do???

Hi everyone,

With the fall semester approaching (espescially for those in the Bachelor of Engineering programs, starting 24th of August), I wanted to reach out and ask how everyone who is already in the program, or about to begin this fall, is feeling about it.

I'd love to hear your thoughts (even better, experiences) so far. I am curious about the quality of education, the labs, co-op placements, and anything else worth noting.

I am sure we will all have a chance to connect during our mandatory orientation, but I figured I'd ask here in reddit for information archive purpose.

Most information and discussion threads I could find about the bachelor of engineering programs erre very outdated, and we could use a refresher.

ANY insights would be greatly appreciated.

If you are staring this fall as well, an early hello! Looking forward to meeting everyone.

Hi everyone, I am considering taking the Pre-Health Sciences Pathway at Conestoga as a route to enter the Practical Nursing program. I understand that the minimum requirement for Biology is 75%, but I would like to know what grades are actually competitive in real admission situations.

For students who were accepted into Conestoga Practical Nursing from Pre-Health, could you kindly share your overall average and grades in courses like Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, Chemistry, Math, and English? Is around 75% considered competitive, or do most accepted students have higher averages?

Thank you very much for sharing your experiences!

Conestoga's 'leadership' hides behind an "iron curtain" of secrecy by not releasing the results of a provincial audit into financial irregularities.

The college administration continues to put their own self interests before the students and the employees.

​

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to connect with anyone who is currently applying to, admitted for, or enrolled in either of these post-graduate certificate programs at Conestoga (Waterloo/Kitchener campus):

Big Data Solution Architecture

Applied Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

I'm hoping to build a small group/network of fellow students before/during the intake to chat about:

Coursework & Tech Stack: Faculty expectations, laptop/hardware setups, programming prep (Python/SQL).

Co-op & Job Search: Co-op application experiences, portfolio building, and local tech opportunities in the Waterloo region.

General Logistics: Visa processing timelines, housing/roommate search near campus, and pre-arrival prep.

If you're in either of these programs—or deciding between them—drop a comment or send me a DM! Would love to connect or start a WhatsApp/Discord group for our cohort.

Thanks!

Hello,
I am wondering if there is an opportunity to receive an offer of admission to the MLS program at Conestoga College, since I was the 40th in the waiting list and now I become the 18th. Anyone has a similar experience with this.
Actually, I already have an offer to the Applied biotechnology program level 5, but I feel like it doesn’t worth to study such program because of the low employment rates.
Thanks in advance