Last week, seven Ontario universities announced a new program that will let students transfer any first-year general arts and sciences courses, and Carleton wasn’t one of them.
McMaster, Waterloo, U of T, Guelph, UOttawa, Western and Queen’s have all agreed on common standards, opening up the chance for their students to switch schools, move back home, or work during the summer without wasting time and money. Carleton students could really benefit from being a part of the program. Some are forced to transfer because of personal or family situations. Others change their program, and want to go to a school that specializes in what they want to study.
Not being a part of the program could harm Carleton’s recruitment levels too. Many potential students want flexibility. Those coming from around the country to Ottawa might choose the University of Ottawa over Carleton simply because the greater freedom to transfer later. Carleton’s admin isn’t saying why they’re not a part of the program. Maybe they wanted to join, but weren’t allowed or asked by the other schools. There could well be good reasons for our absence. But regardless of whether we had a choice in the matter or not, Carleton should be actively working to keep up with whatever changes are happening in the world of post-secondary education.
We can’t afford to fall behind.
